I'm the OP of the comment this thread was responding too, talking about how I dislike Musk, but I'd still say he was the driving force of Tesla in that it was a close-to-bankrupt company that is unrecognisable of the company you see today. Same with the whole idea he's only rich because his dad is - Zip2 and Paypal were huge acquisitions that dwarf his fathers net worth back then, and having wealth is in no way a guarantee you'll > 1000x that amount.
What nonsense. How many business owners in the US immigrated with basically zero and made > $1m? How many startup founders have come from disadvantaged backgrounds and exited/got acquired? How many first-gen college grads got into good schools and ended up firmly in the upper-middle class (US based, that is?). It's far easier to 1000x when you have little than when you have a good amount. Just look at the number of millionaires compared to billionaires.
He did create Tesla. He went to AC Propulsion and tried to form a company with them but they weren't interested and instead directed him to two guys who had incorporation papers and nothing else. He then funded 90% of the Series A round when there were only the two "founders". He was involved with the company from that point forward.
Do you have a source on what they were doing before Series A? I didn't start paying close attention personally until around the time the Model S started getting close to production. I've never heard anything about a "proprietary motor".