manager magazine: Tesla-Boss Elon Musk want that Apple in the car world: build your own ecosystem using your own software and chips, your own charging network and energy supply. That sounds great. But recently the share price has fallen. Musk’s Twitter takeover confuses many; the Autopilot error susceptibility worried
authorities and investors. Is Elon Musk reaching his limits?
Ralf Kalmbach: I don’t think so. What counts is the big picture. A few years ago, the auto industry hadn’t really grasped the full scope of Musk’s business model. Today there is agreement that Tesla is the benchmark in many dimensions. There is the on-board network, there are the computers, there is the ecosystem with Spacelink and Co. Some of his goals seemed unrealistic at first. Little by little they have formed a picture, and it is not finished yet.
One ordered by the district court of Munich Expert has now certified Tesla’s autopilot
, he sometimes “does not recognize signs or very late”, is “in the current condition” not “suitable for the intended use”. Musk announces the system will be ready for Level 4 autonomous driving by 2023; So completely without a driver. There is something wrong.
Kalmbach: It’s not the first time Musk has broken his timelines. But he achieved most of his goals in the end. The competitors should therefore deal intensively with his goals and topics – also with the autopilot.
Volkswagen is currently worth almost 90 billion euros on the stock exchange, Tesla 786 billion. Do you also think that is justified?
Kalmbach: I wouldn’t look too much at share prices alone. There is often a bit of hope and euphoria in it. But the financial market currently sees Tesla as an example for the automotive industry of the future. The company is considered a tech stock; and the innovations and patents of recent years also reflect this.