Elon Musk is often framed as a visionary who bends industries to his will. But behind SpaceX launches and Tesla valuations lies a long list of painful missteps. Lost companies. Exploding rockets. Missed deadlines. Expensive pivots.For founders, those failures are more useful than the headlines. Here is what they reveal.Losing Control Of Zip2 And PayPalBefore Tesla and SpaceX, Musk built Zip2, which sold for nearly $300 million. On paper, that sounds like a win. In reality, he was pushed out as CEO after giving investors significant control. The board believed he lacked operational maturity.A similar situation unfolded at X.com, which later became PayPal. During internal disagreements over product direction and leadership style, Musk was replaced as CEO while on holiday.What founders can learnEquity structure and board composition matter more than early valuation. If control is diluted too quickly, founders risk losing strategic direction. Protect voting rights. Choose investors aligned with long-term vision, not just short-term returns.Tesla’s Production ChaosTesla’s early years were marked by aggressive timelines and missed promises. The Roadster suffered delays and cost overruns, forcing unexpected surcharges on customers who had already paid deposits. The Model X faced battery challenges, supplier shortages and complex “falcon-wing” doors that slowed production.… Read MoreYourStory RSS Feed
