Rare footage of Elon Musk from 2008, back when TSLA and SPCX were on the brink of collapse. He was nearly bankrupt and even had to borrow money from friends to pay rent. 1. The Big Three automakers played dirty Congress originally allocated $25 billion to subsidize his new energy vehicles, but GM and Ford went crying to Washington about being broke and ended up snatching that money to subsidize gas-powered cars. 2. Musk doesn’t exploit the poor Tesla made ultra-luxury sports cars to "harvest" the rich. Every penny earned from selling those high-priced cars was poured into developing affordable electric vehicles. TSLA doesn’t pay dividends, and Musk only holds equity. The company’s success makes the equity valuable; if it fails, the equity goes to zero. This was his way of showing everyone: Tesla isn’t about short-term cash-outs for investors—it’s about a long-term revolution in electric vehicles! 3. You can’t make cheap cars without making expensive ones first At the time, many people criticized him: "Making sports cars for rich people? What does that have to do with the environment or ordinary folks? It’s just showing off wealth." Musk explained: It’s like the early days of cell phones, laptops, or any new technology. When it first comes out, the costs are sky-high, and production is limited. This isn’t just for fun—it’s following the natural progression of tech products, step by step, turning EVs from luxury toys for the wealthy into practical transportation for everyday people!