Elon is way too modest when he tweeted that Tesla's successes were only earned by others. Actually, he was demonstrating good leadership by making that tweet. But just a short list of decisions/actions he alone made that made Tesla successful.
Pouring all remaining net worth into Tesla in 2008 when no one else would invest in an EV company.
Making sure the Roadster was a worthy car, even to the point of shredding the initial idea of bolting on components into a Lotus Elise body (he forced Tesla to make extensive changes so that there were few compromises).
Going completely against his nature and being an obnoxious showman so that he could continue raising $$ for a struggling startup.
Pushing the company to design a ridiculously over the top falcon wing door SUV before the first Model S was even made so that Tesla would remain in the spotlight and garner more much needed funding.
Deciding to spend $0 in advertising, something that he must have been under huge pressure not to do.
The infamous three part plan (Roadster, Model S, Model 3) that in hindsight was obvious even as no other car company in the world replicated.
I could go on, but you get the idea. Sure, Elon has participated in making mistakes, but geez, the big decisions have had enormous positive impact on the company.
