Earlier quoted context omitted.
> The company was seen as a financial disaster, a pipe dream, and a money sink for a very long time, and he did actually make it profitable. Pretty much mainly on government money - without it, it would've gone bust long ago. Specifically the policies of Obama and those pesk environmentalists he seems to dislike so much.
Probably, but making a sucessful transition to eco-friendly vehicles was the point of that government money, and at the time batteries were much more expensive. (The price of batteries is also why, at the time he went for batteries, the zeitgeist was hydrogen).
He took over 5 years in when they already had the Roadster in production and the model S design was largely finalized with the goal of ever cheaper and more mass market cars over time.
The cyber truck’s look and buying solar city were definitely under his leadership, other moves are less clear.