Why does Elon Musk always set impossible goals for Tesla?

If you're a Tesla hard worker, you have 2 choices: 1, feel happy for the 100% impossible goals set by Elon Musk. 2, to "landfill " Apple.

There are two most important points in Tesla's first financial report after the launch of Model 3 and they are completely opposite.First information : the latest Tesla sample production schedule is slower than originally expected, losses are increasing and recently two Tesla senior leaders have left the company.

The second information : Model 3 production schedule has been changed and pushed up to 2 years faster. Elon Musk's statement that Tesla will ship 500,000 cars a year by 2020 is now changed: the real "Iron Man" today confirms this goal will be completed by 2018. That means that only In 2 years Tesla will have to produce 10 times more output last year and 6 times (expected figure) this year.

Tesla's current situation speaks a lot about Elon Musk's ambition to "paranoid".

The letter from Elon Musk to investors also acknowledged "Increasing production five times in two years will be very challenging and will also require additional capital". But the word "challenge" here can be considered too light compared to reality: shipping 500,000 cars per year not only forces Tesla to increase the output of existing cars but also to complete the battery factory. The world's largest (Gigafactory). The hardest challenge would be to ensure that production for the current Model 3 has not yet gone into mass production.

Analyst Jeremy C.Owens said: "Elon Musk wants to bring missiles to Mars in 2018. His goal for Tesla Motors is even more ambitious."

Distress

Tesla's current situation speaks a lot about Elon Musk's ambition to "paranoid" : in the past quarter, the company lost $ 283 million. This is the 12th quarter that Tesla suffered losses, but the young car manufacturer will continue to increase investment costs. The release schedule of the Model X is not guaranteed, but Elon Musk still pushes its production target up to 2 years early. Just a few weeks ago, Tesla also acknowledged that its mistakes have affected Model X.

Like Steve Jobs, Elon Musk lives in a private space. A "school distorts the truth".

With Musk, unrealistic promises always come with seemingly impossible achievements.

For almost all other CEOs, these ambitious goals will be considered paranoid. But for Musk alone, unrealistic promises always come with seemingly impossible achievements. Tesla rarely set the initial schedule goal, but just getting close to that goal was enough for Tesla to smash skepticism and surprise big media and competitors.

But why doesn't Tesla try to make "easy" promises and overcome his own goals? Why can't Tesla keep the goal of 500,000 cars by 2020 and set the 2018 time as an internal target?

The answer is not Elon Musk's arrogance but very practical reasons.

Find victory in defeat

First, it must be pointed out that Elon Musk and Tesla will almost certainly not be able to meet users' needs. In just one week, 325,000 people spent $ 1,000 to order the Model 3. The longer they wait, the more easily 325,000 people change their minds. A long-term goal will help them less impatient.

Next, Tesla clearly needs to increase its investment capital. An urgent, urgent production schedule will help Tesla convince investors to spend money that is vital to the company's survival.

Musk's Gigafactory super factory.

But the most important is still the moral encouragement of independent employees and suppliers. When explaining the goal of putting the Model 3 into mass production from July 2017, Elon Musk affirmed:

"Can we start mass production on July 1 next year? Of course not. The reason is because even in the case of 99% improvement of internal production parts and supply, we still cannot produce a car with 1% of parts missing, but both Tesla and suppliers have to respect this time, and there will be penalties for those who cannot catch up on that schedule, this needs to be done, because you can't let thousands of components be completed at different times. "

In other words, Elon Musk admits that the Tesla deadline is impossible. But when any time limit will be impossible, why choose a time that everyone will have to talk about, rather than a moment that will inevitably come with frustration?

The me is too big for Elon

The goal here is not only to inspire Tesla's spirit, but also to Elon Musk.

Elon Musk is the type who is the best when under pressure.

The founder billionaire Tesla and SpaceX are the people who work best when under huge pressure. On the contrary, when faced with the mundane problems of a normal person, Musk will quickly come down.

So the real "Iron Man" chooses superhuman goals such as bringing missiles to Mars in 2018, building a "super factory" that produces batteries with the output of the current world, or create 500,000 electric cars within 1 year.

But the problems associated with the 500,000 numbers are "trivial" issues of humankind. Supply chain, production line, order receipt, reasonable schedule announcement . are all issues that make Elon Musk great. When Tesla becomes a normal manufacturer, Elon Musk will not find a bit of fun from electric cars created by themselves.

So Musk seeks to turn human problems into issues . Elon Musk. Before the Model X was released, it was thought that this would be a " time-killing " vehicle to bring some revenue to prepare for Tesla's main card: the Model 3. But Elon Musk did not so. He created a fast-running SUV, with Falcon doors open to both sides and even a bioterrorism regime.

According to Musk, "Tesla will fiercely try to become the best producer in the world".

But the supplier's problems and the cheap price of the Model 3 do not allow Elon Musk to repeat this scenario again. This also means that Tesla needs a goal so Musk can continue to live the way he wants. Only mastering the supply chain is not enough. According to Musk, "Tesla will fiercely try to become the best producer in the world".

Tesla's founder can only continue to exist that way. And he motivated everyone around to do so. That may be the reason why Musk dared to loudly call Apple " Tesla's " dump in terms of personnel: those who can't work the Musk way are willing to be eliminated. In the journey to the destination of Tesla's 500,000 vehicles per year, perhaps the "ghost park" will be more and more crowded.