That’s like saying that Apple started the home computer competition going.

There’s a big difference between bucking trends and skipping steps for the sake of being different, and actually moving the industry forward.

Under a non-sociopathic leadership Tesla battery and engine tech would have been in most Western car brands by now.

Instead, let’s look at what Tesla has really brought us:

• electric tech that’s today just one (rather unremarkable) version among many;
• failing cruising tech (I don’t even want to use “self driving” because that’s pure marketing drivel);
• abysmal build quality and customer support;
• rising car and insurance prices;
• lots of car tech moved from hardware into software, which means surveillance, lower quality, lower usability and ergonomy;
• and last but not least a whole lot of shirking responsibility.

That’s the Tesla legacy that the car industry has inherited.