Plus he is a pretty mediocre public speaker...yet puts himself out there & makes an impact

That's one of the reasons I love watching his public speaking events (like the tesla model reveals).

Yeah, there's a good bit of production involved, but it usually feels like when a buddy is showing you something really cool that he made.

He is a captivating public speaker. He accessibly expresses new ideas of considerable importance and complexity. What else do you want from him?

SpaceX doesn't need Vince Offer.

I've often thought that if Elon had the stage presence of Robert Downey Junior as Tony Stark, we'd already be on Mars.

Perhaps not. Mr Downey's performance is not achieved by raw personal magnetism alone, but requires a substantial crew to deliver the fully polished product. The cost of creating Tony Stark runs at roughly $100m per hour. I doubt even the astronomical budgets of astronautical agencies could absorb that.

As for Mr Musk's personal style, I found this interview quite captivating. All the more so for his lack of bluster and posturing.

I agree he isn't that good at delivery but he feels very authentic and that does it for me more than the total fakery I see at e.g. Apple now. I say this because I am a big Apple fan I liked Steve Jobs presentations, but it hurts my ears when everybody at Apple try to sound like Steve Jobs throwing out "Best ever", "Only Apple can do this", "This is the best X we ever built" etc.

Elon Musk never says rubbish like this which feels totally markety. When Elon Musk rants about something it feels more like a geek who is really excited about something, rather than slick market speak.

>Elon Musk never says rubbish like this which feels totally markety. When Elon Musk rants about something it feels more like a geek who is really excited about something..

Maybe, that is how you market to geeks..Know your target audience and all that...Looks like it is working!

He also appeared in an episode The Simpsons. His acting was awful, but he did put himself out there.

Was he appearing as himself? If so his acting would by definition have been perfect. :P

IMO bad amateur acting often involves people reciting lines in a weird stilted way instead of just talking normally. I don't know how to act like someone else, but I can act like myself at least.

It's quite possible, that Page, and Bezos don't see much value in collaborating with the press. Maybe that seems like a non productive use of time to them. For example, look how much Zuck is in the press.

They don't need it because they have sustainable businesses regardless of the press, so they don't do it. Musk wouldn't have a business without constant coverage and a strong brand (brand equity helps him cut deals no one else could).

I'm dying to hear how Blue Origin is more sustainable than SpaceX.

I get your premise, however Blue Origin is sustainable for as long as Bezos deems it so, regardless of having a business under it. He has $67 billion in wealth he can liquidate to burn on anything he chooses; he's regularly selling off large blocks of his Amazon stake now. Burning $500 million per year will not matter in any meaningful sense to him, stacked against something he has decided is critically important. He's likely to be worth more than $100 billion over time and he's 52 years old - $500 million times 30 years is something he can afford if need be.

Really? He's obviously referencing Amazon, not BO.