[harimau777]

That's a fair point. I think the distinction that I was trying to draw was between a company that primarily derives its value from the physical manufacturing of goods versus deriving its value from something intangible such as design, intellectual property, technological prowess, etc. In Tesla's case I don't think the company ever intended to derive their value simply from their ability to manufacture a car; rather it derives from their ability to develop novel car technology.

That being said, it does strike me that in the Marx era it was most likely easier to be successful as a regional provider of some commodity while globalization means that even a manufacturer is effectively competing against the entire world.