The unconventional way Elon Musk decides who gets to be first to buy a new Tesla
That's because Elon Musk has developed an unconventional way of deciding the order in which new models get sold, according to Ashlee Vance's soon-to-be-released book, "Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future."
Essentially, it's a race. When a new car is announced and priced, the first person to physically find Musk and hand him a check will get the first one.
For example, the first Model S went to a Tesla board member, Steve Jurvetson, because he carried a blank check around in his wallet. When he spotted info about the Model S in a packet of board meeting notes, he plucked out his check and "slid it across the table to Musk."
There's an even more extreme example.
Entrepreneur Konstantin Othmer told Vance that when he spotted a story in Wired that mentioned how Tesla planned to release a second version of its super-car, the Roadster, he immediately emailed Musk, who responded that he would sell Othmer the car, but that he would have to pay $200,000 up front. Tesla released the first Roadster in early 2010, charging $109,000 for the sleek, ultra-fast automobile.
Musk made Othmer come to Tesla HQ on a Sunday with the money and to sign papers agreeing that he knew that Tesla didn't know when the car would be ready, or even what its exact specifications would be. Othmer didn't care.
"My guess is that it will be the fastest car on the road. It'll be four-wheel drive. It's going to be insane," he told Vance. "And I don't really think that will be the real price. I just don't think Elon wanted me to buy it."
Read more anecdotes like this in Vance's new book, "Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future."