I mean, if you want to quibble over the precise meaning of "created", I'm not interested in that. Replace "created" with "drove to commercial success" if you prefer, the fact remains that Tesla as a brand didn't exist in people's minds until he invested and spearheaded the design on the roadster.

As for whether it's a failure, that remains to be seen. Combating climate change is a long-term battle. All of Tesla's products are clearly geared towards this end though, from electric cars to solar roofs to grid level energy storage.