In addition to showing that thoughtful risk taking while sharing ASME’s vision of “applying engineering knowledge for improving the quality of life”, Musk illustrates that an engineer’s work and business know-how can lead to amazing results. Musk also embodies the kind of engineering leadership that is needed as organizations, industry, and governments work together to tackle the interrelated issues of energy, climate, and poverty. For the early career engineer to grow into their roles as our next generation of leaders tackling these issues, we are fortunate to have innovative role models like Elon Musk.
https://www.asme.org/career-education/early-career-engineers/me-today/engineer-in-focus-elon-musk
Consider the earliest days of Apple. Musk is the equivalent of Steve Jobs, who was the idea man and promoter. Steve Wozniak was the engineer who made the ideas happen. Both were necessary for Apple’s survival and success, but their roles were different.