[dmcginty]

I admire Tesla as a company, but I can't help but wonder why they still have Elon Musk do the entire presentation himself. Sure, he's their superstar, but he comes off as a very underprepared public speaker. I wish they had him do an introduction, and then have a spokesperson do the bulk of the talking. Instead, he's showing off these new and amazing products with nearly no charisma and enthusiasm.

[aerovistae]

Couldn't possibly disagree more. He comes off as genuine instead of as a script-reading marketing person. He really cares about the product and the end goal and every inch of this originates from him.

This is his version of enthusiasm. Steve Jobs wasn't any more "enthusiastic"....he was soft-spoken and straightforward, too, he just didn't stutter/hesitate the way Elon naturally does, so he came across as much smoother.

If you think not having Elon out front and center for this company would be a good thing, you've really not grasped the symbiotic bond between him and his companies and his customers.

This is just another way Tesla is unique-- they don't overmarket everything, they don't run ads, they don't have some slick super-model announce their products. The main engineer, the guy who designed it, talks about it in his own way. I wouldn't have them change a thing.

[dmcginty]

You make very good points, and I agree that having Elon as the spokesperson makes the event feel more personal and genuine. I still feel like his presentation manner is disappointing, though. I get that it's a petty thing to complain about, but he seems nervous when he's talking publicly and I find that distracting. I don't want to make it seem like I'm dissing Tesla or Elon Musk directly. I liked the launch event otherwise.

[aerovistae]

I understand. I guess I just find that that hesitancy adds a lot for me, makes it feel less corporate and more like just another guy showing off this cool thing he made and which he really hopes you like. I wonder how long it's been since a car company announced a car this way. I don't remember EVER seeing a car reveal in the first place, actually. Just one day you start seeing commercials for the ALL NEW 2017 NISSAN ALTIMA etc etc

[karpathy]

I think I like it better with Elon, than if there was some random sales pitch person with a perfectly rehearsed and forcefully over-enthusiastic presentation. It's a combination of respect for the man, and a sense in which we're geeking out over the features together in an informal and relaxed manner. Something like that.

[goatforce5]

There a happy middle ground.

People like Schiller or Federighi from Apple are both slick presenters, sometimes teetering on the edge of cheesiness, but it's all saved by the fact that you can tell they really know and care about the product.

[vessenes]

I really love his style. He has a very persistent values-based set of talking points (environment, safety, not sucking, doing cool shit), and he delivers those in the same way that he would if he had lunch with you and his aunt, and he were nerding out about his values.

Whether it's a chosen style or just how he is, to me, it works and feels genuine in a way that's charming. As he talks, I can imagine him sitting down with his engineers saying "Does this = good for the environment, improve safety, reduce car suckage, and is it cool?" And, I can further imagine him digging in to fix it if the product doesn't match, like with diagrams, and left over space x physics books, and a cool napkin he drew on in the shower with a strut design that would be better..

No PR person could ask for more from a lead presenter, seriously. You can imagine him doing that too, I bet, and that's a key and critical part of the tesla brand.

[butwhy]

Tesla are building a great brand and part of that comes from the presence of a visionary like him. I think a lot of people respect the fact he doesn't allow a PR person to BS the audience. But hey, they've come this far doing it this way so I don't see a need to change now.

[yason]

If there had been charisma and enthusiasm propped up on the stage, I'd have suspected the Model X isn't that good after all. Elon just let the car speak for itself.

[sergiotapia]

People respond to that. Makes me feel like he believes in the product and is not some gypsy.

[yongelee]

Because it matters. Would you rather hear about any Tesla news from elon musk or some random pr person they hired?

[tsotha]

People get Teslas because they want something different. If you put the normal carnival barker salesman up there prospective customers will come away thinking "Hey, that kind of sounds like every other pitch at the car show I went to."

[pavelrub]

Who is "they"? You think somebody is forcing Musk to do those presentations? Elon Musk is the CEO. He does the presentations himself because that's his decision and that's what he wants.

[the8472]

If your product is good enough you shouldn't need showmanship.

[IBM]

Made me cringe when customers came up to drive off with their cars. Really felt like a Samsung tier presentation.

[addicted]

Keep in mind the audience is largely filled with customers and people who have placed preorders.

Tesla's launches and reveals are largely Employees + Customers with some press thrown in.

[36erhefg]

In contrast to an uptight corporate event, it felt genuine and realistic. You know, like that time you got your keys, for the car you bought, from a normal human being.