Elon Musk, the visionary entrepreneur behind Tesla and SpaceX, is known for his unwavering commitment to innovation and pushing the boundaries of technology. His approach to business and design has often been described as bold, unconventional, and driven by a desire to create the future rather than simply respond to it. This is especially evident in his involvement with the Cybertruck, Tesla’s highly anticipated electric pickup truck.Musk’s vision for the Cybertruck is one that defies traditional automotive design. During a recent design review, Musk couldn’t help but be drawn to futuristic, almost otherworldly images of vehicles. His eye was immediately caught by the sharp lines and angular features of these concepts, which he believed embodied the essence of the future.While Tesla’s Model Y, a versatile crossover designed to combine the best features of the Model 3, had recently finalized its design, Musk found himself reluctantly abandoning some of his more radical ideas. However, when it came to the design of the Cybertruck, he was determined not to compromise.“Be brave and make people go, ‘Wow,’” Musk urged his design team. He was insistent that the Cybertruck should not be another ordinary, mundane vehicle. Instead, he wanted it to be bold, innovative, and capable of making a lasting impression.Every time someone suggested a more conventional design, Musk would push it aside, pointing to a vehicle from the video game Halo, the trailer for the upcoming Cyberpunk 2077 game, or a vehicle from Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner as examples of what he wanted. His son, Saxon, who has autism, also weighed in with a peculiar yet fitting comment: “Why doesn’t the future look like the future?”Musk repeated his son’s question aloud, reflecting on the fact that the future, at least in terms of design, should be nothing like what had come before.As Musk pondered this, he shared his thoughts with his team: “I want the future to look more like the future.” He was unrelenting in his desire for the Cybertruck to embody a truly futuristic aesthetic, one that would set it apart from anything else on the market.He wasn’t willing to settle for anything less than radical innovation.Despite some reservations within the team, particularly from those who believed that a design too futuristic might alienate potential buyers, Musk was firm in his conviction. After all, it was still a truck, and he knew that even the most innovative designs had to strike a balance between vision and practicality.However, as the meeting came to a close, Musk made it clear that he was not concerned with whether anyone would buy the vehicle.“I don’t care if no one buys it,” Musk declared. “We’re not going to make a boring, traditional truck. We can always make that later. I want to make something that’s really cool. So, don’t disagree with me.”Musk’s defiant attitude toward conventionality set the tone for the development of the Cybertruck. By July 2019, Tesla’s chief designer, Franz von Holzhausen, and other members of the design team had finalized a radical new concept for the truck.This design featured sharp angles, diamond-like facets, and an overall otherworldly aesthetic. The team was ready to reveal it to Musk, but they wanted to surprise him. They placed the new design front and center in the design gallery, alongside a more traditional truck design that had also been under consideration.When Musk walked through the door of SpaceX’s factory, he immediately reacted. “This is it!” he exclaimed. “I love it. We’re going to make this. Yes, we’re doing it! Let’s lock it in.” And so, the Cybertruck was born.The design was finalized in August 2019, and Musk wasted no time in setting ambitious goals for the project. He told the team that he wanted to unveil a working prototype of the Cybertruck by November of that year—a mere three months away, instead of the typical nine months it would take to produce a drivable prototype.Von Holzhausen, aware of the logistical challenges, cautioned Musk that it would be nearly impossible to have a fully functional prototype ready in such a short time. But Musk, true to form, wasn’t swayed. “Yes, we’ll do it,” he insisted. “We’ll make it happen.”Despite Musk’s track record of setting unrealistic deadlines, his approach often pushed his team to work around the clock, bringing their best efforts to the table. Von Holzhausen recalls the intense work schedule that followed, with the team pulling all-nighters to meet Musk’s aggressive deadline. “That deadline forced the team to come together and work around the clock,” he said.By November 21, 2019, Tesla was ready to reveal the Cybertruck prototype. The truck was driven onto the stage at the design studio for a public unveiling, and the reaction was immediate. Journalists and guests were stunned.CNN reported that many attendees were incredulous, unable to believe that the vehicle they were seeing was actually the truck Tesla had been teasing for months. The Cybertruck looked like something out of a science fiction movie—a giant metallic trapezoid on four wheels, more akin to a piece of art than a traditional pickup.But the unveiling was not without its hiccups. Von Holzhausen decided to demonstrate the durability of the vehicle by striking it with a sledgehammer, and to everyone’s surprise, the metal body of the truck didn’t even dent. Then, in an attempt to showcase the strength of the truck’s “armored glass,” he threw a metal ball at the truck’s window.Unfortunately, the window shattered, much to Musk’s dismay. “Oh my God!” he exclaimed. “I guess he threw it a little too hard.”While the reveal wasn’t the unqualified success that Musk had hoped for, with Tesla’s stock dropping 6% the following day, Musk remained undeterred. He took to the stage and addressed the crowd, explaining that the truck industry had been stagnant for over a century, and Tesla was determined to try something completely different. “The truck has been the same for a hundred years,” he said. “We want to try something unusual.”Despite the mixed reception, Musk’s commitment to innovation and his unyielding vision for the Cybertruck remain as strong as ever. For him, the goal was never just to build a truck—it was to build something that would disrupt the status quo and challenge the conventional wisdom of the automotive industry.Whether or not anyone buys the Cybertruck is secondary to Musk’s broader mission of shaping the future. And in his world, that future is bound to look a lot more like science fiction than anything the traditional automakers are currently offering.
Musk made it clear that he was not concerned with whether anyone would buy the Cybertruck. “I don’t care if no one buys it,” Musk declared.
