Earlier quoted context omitted.
smart phones where a radical innovation, but how is making batteries, electric cars, or reusing rockets radical? From my understanding Musk is investing in tough challenges for prestige. The innovation, if any, comes from his engineers.
>how is making batteries, electric cars, or reusing rockets radical? No one ever made a reusable satellite-launching rocket before that landed on its tail and was cheaper than a disposable rocket. And Musk came up with the basic plan for how to do it. Nobody made an electric car before that ran off of lithium ion batteries, and no one made an electric luxury car. And Musk made up the basic plan for doing it. Or perha…
This is called optimization. And yes there were electric cars before, just maybe not as consumer products because nobody optimized it enough to be profitable. Innovation means doing something new. I'd argue that the drone ships the rockets land on might be more innovative than the rockets themselves.