Tesla’s Macintosh 192
As when Tesla designed the Roadster, Elon could sug-
gest materials and techniques from SpaceX to improve
Model S. “In the rocket business, we are used to dealing
with very light weight materials, so a lot of advanced alu-
minum, advanced joining techniques, new types of weld-
ing and bonding and that kind of thing,” Elon said. “We
employed that also in the Model S. The body and chassis is
all in aluminum, which is rare. Most cars is steel and maybe
a little bit of aluminum.”^449
Elon and Steve Jobs share the same eye for design.
Once, Elon brought in several competing cars so they could
compare them with the Roadster and the Model S. Because
of the comparison, you could hear the following comments
from Elon:
”...the screws on the hinges feel like knives stabbing me
in the eye.”
”...find the best visor in the world, and then make a
better one.”
”...that’s like a midget cave. It’s good to get a sense for
just how bad the other cars are.”^51
But Elon has been described as nicer than Jobs and a bit
more refined than Bill Gates.^51 Elon actually tried to talk to
Jobs when they attended the same party. Larry Page, who
lived three blocks away from Jobs, introduced Elon to Jobs.
But Jobs was super-rude to Elon. Despite the rudeness, Elon
is still a fan. “He was an incredible guy and made fantastic
products, and there was a certain magic about him that was
really inspiring,” he said. “I think Steve Jobs is way cooler
than I am.”^363