In 2018, when the entire world thought Tesla was on the verge of bankruptcy:

Mercedes predicted: “They’ll go bankrupt by summer.”
BMW asserted: “They’ll never achieve mass production.”
Wall Street proclaimed: “A manufacturing nightmare.”

Then, Elon Musk decided to move into the factory, bringing with him his determination—and his pillow. What happened afterward left every CEO in awe. Tesla didn’t just survive; it exploded from the brink of collapse.

The transformation was genuinely radical:

Musk personally inspected every production station.
He rewrote software code when necessary.
He fired managers who didn’t align with his vision on the spot.
He called suppliers at 3 a.m. for urgent parts.

One night, workers even found him covered in grease while fixing a Model 3 that other engineers had “given up on.”

Elon told his engineers, “Either we fix them, or we’re done.”

The auto industry’s laughter started to fade as the numbers came in:

First week: 202 Model 3s.
Third month: 5,000 each week.
By year-end: Tesla posted its first profitable quarter.

Tesla went from being a joke to a legitimate threat, transforming rapidly and making the entire industry take notice.

“It was an incredibly painful period. I don’t know, but maybe I went a little insane,” Elon shared.

Traditional automakers had:

Over 100 years of experience.
Billions of dollars in cash reserves.
Robust global supply chains.
Deep political connections.

Today?

Tesla’s valuation surpasses the combined values of Toyota, GM, Ford, and BMW.

In just a few years, Elon Musk turned a mocked company into an automotive giant, proving that persistence and vision can change an entire industry.