That’s a very strange title! What do these two companies have in common? Tesla is a car company (that thought it might be good idea to make a smartphone), and Apple is a smartphone company (among other things) that thought it was a good idea to make an electric car. In my mind, each company should stay in their own lane and continue to do what they do best, but who am I to counsel Jobs (RIP) or Musk? But in my mind these two companies have a lot in common!
First Apple: Steve Jobs was the main man when it came to establishing Apple’s vision for the future (definitely disruptive and futuristic). 1984 was when I started paying attention to Apple’s ambitions in the personal computer arena with the Macinstosh computer. Then Jobs hit another home run in 2007 with the first iPhone. So innovative, so exciting (for the techies among us). And granted, it wasn’t just Jobs that brought these things to life, but his identity was so tightly connected with the vision and the product that it was hard to separate the two, which was both good and bad for Apple’s shareholders. But from my perspective the products just got better and better, and that’s what I care about.
Then Tesla: Elon Musk, like Steve, established a vision for Tesla Motors (a company established by Martin Eberhard and Marc Tarpenning in 2003) that produced its first car, the Tesla Roadster, in 2008 when Elon assumed the role of CEO. Like Steve, Elon’s methods were very unconventional, but both had a vision for the future that drove their teams to produce something completely new, that would position their companies to continue to innovate well into the future, and well ahead of the ‘competition’. Sandy Munro says “I would say that Tesla is at least 5 or 6 years ahead of everybody…and I have no idea how other people are going to catch up.” (source)
Here’s my point in drawing a comparison between these two ‘interesting’ individuals and their companies: both are/were visionaries, both had unique and largely unconventional ways of driving (aka ‘motivating’) their teams for success, and both left/is leaving an indelible mark on humanity. Jobs created a computing ecosystem that for many drives their work and home life. And Musk wants you to drive EVs to/from your work place and home, because EVs are ‘more sustainable’ then the alternative.
Having worked in tech since the early 80s, there is noone like these two ‘characters’ that have had quite the same impact in quite the same way. As controversial, and sometimes odd, as Elon and Steve are/were the world is a better place because of them! And for the techies among us, their innovations absolutely ‘spark joy‘.