The Leaning Factories 284
plier explained how it would take more than one year
and thousands of dollars to develop the valve. SpaceX told
them it was too expensive and it would take too long
time. “Good luck with that,” the supplier replied, smiled,
and left the building. SpaceX set out to develop the valve
themselves, and it was ready when they needed it. The
smiling supplier called back and said they were now willing
to make the valve. SpaceX replied that they had already
made it themselves. “There was just silence at the end of the
line,” Tom Mueller said. “They were in shock. That scenario
has been repeated to the point where we passionately avoid
space vendors.”^288
Another supplier of parts to the rocket’s fuel tanks
raised the price after delivering only a small amount of
their products. They thought SpaceX didn’t have any other
choice than to accept the higher price. The supplier was
wrong and is no longer a supplier to SpaceX. “It was like
a painter who paints half your house for one price, then
wants three times that for the rest,” a SpaceXer said. “That
didn’t make Elon too enthusiastic. He was like, ‘All right,
we’re not going to get screwed by these guys.’“^278
While Tesla named each conference room after failed
electric car companies, SpaceX named each conference
room after scientists, engineers, and astronauts related to
the space industry.^453 But Elon is generally not a fan of
meetings. “Meetings are what happens when people aren’t
working,” he said.
A conference room was named after the German Her-
mann Oberth, who is considered one of the founding fa-