18 years ago, in 2008, Elon Musk stood up at a Hollywood party and started talking about rockets. Nobody seemed interested. People interrupted him. Some questioned the point of what he was doing. At the time, it was easy to dismiss. 🚀 But the timing was brutal. $SpaceX(SPCX)$ had already suffered three failed launches. $Tesla Motors(TSLA)$ was also running dangerously short of cash. Musk had put much of his own money into both companies. By his own later accounts, he was running out of options and borrowing money from friends to cover basic expenses. This wasn't a polished success story yet. There was no proven rocket business. No profitable EV giant. No guarantee either company would survive. Just a foun