Hard-working people with amibition, who're willing to make sacrifices succeed from any background. They're the "overachievers", which is what underachievers who don't value hard work enough call achievers who maximize their abilities.
He worked extremely hard and has enough intelligence and skill to be a computer programmer who created high-value software that made him wealthy, and then continued to work hard and use his money to create and fund SpaceX and fund Tesla, both of which he helped steer to success. Wealth generated from those have helped fund other companies.
The world would be much worse without Tesla and SpaceX.
Tesla's success has been of huge benefit to transportation policy, as without it there's no significant chance that support for EVs would be as strong.
SpaceX has already radically improved rocket launching, destroying the idea that it has to be expensive. As a result SpaceX is already providing valuable telecommunications that would previously have been prohibitively expensive, and if it can succeed with Starship and Super Heavy will _radically_ transform space with a cheap heavy lift platform.
His other companies are also trying to do hard things that if successful will be hugely beneficial, with Boring's effort's seriously underappreciated.
His opinions on social issues have only been negative for his image, which really shows that outside of business he isn't influential at all.
Overall, he's an extremely net positive asshole.
