Part 3/11:
Critically, Musk clarified that R&D spending is not directly proportional to innovative output. Engineers at Tesla are not interchangeable commodities; their brilliance, creativity, and environment matter far more than the amount spent on projects. Tesla’s R&D is highly focused on attracting top talent—engineers who are among the best in the world—and fostering an environment where innovation thrives.
Musk highlighted that Tesla remains comparable to companies like SpaceX in attracting the top-tier engineers—akin to “cousins”—where the best engineers aim to work. He contrasted Tesla’s strategy with simply throwing billions at R&D, stressing that the quality of talent and environment supersede mere expenditure.