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The Story You Tell Wins: What Founders Can Learn from the Tesla Myth

Most people think Elon Musk founded Tesla — but the real story is more complicated. This blog breaks down how media perception rewrote startup history, and what every founder needs to do to avoid getting erased.

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Vasily Alekseenko
May 14, 2025

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The Story You Tell Wins: What Founders Can Learn from the Tesla Myth

Ask 10 people who founded Tesla.

At least 8 will say Elon Musk.

But here’s the twist: Elon didn’t found Tesla.

Martin Eberhard and Marc Tarpenning did.

They built the business. They registered the domain. They pitched the vision.

Elon? He wasn’t even in the room.

He showed up later with a $6.5M check and a demand to be Chairman.

At that point, Tesla was already rolling.

Martin was CEO. Marc was CFO. The first Roadster was in development.

But Elon had one thing they didn’t: an obsession with perception.

The press didn’t care about the low-key founders building a cool electric car.

They cared about the flashy billionaire who just sold PayPal.

And Elon? He knew exactly how to play that game.

Bit by bit, headline by headline, interview by interview — the narrative shifted.

He wasn’t just Tesla’s investor.

He became “the visionary.”

Then “the founder.”

Then “the genius who reinvented cars.”

Meanwhile, Martin — the actual founder — was sidelined, ousted, and legally gagged.

He couldn’t work for a year.

He watched someone else take credit for his company, his vision, his story.

You can hate it. You can call it unfair. You can even sue (he did).

But here’s the hard truth: in startups, perception can become reality.

The media doesn’t always care who actually built the thing.

They care who’s telling the story loudest, most confidently, and most consistently.

So what can you do to play the game better?

Here’s your Founder Perception Playbook:

  1. Own your narrative early.

    Don’t wait until launch day. Define what you stand for, what makes you different, and say it everywhere.

  2. Repeat yourself.

    Boring to you? Good. That means it’s finally sinking in for others.

  3. Become the face.

    Whether it’s you or your co-founder, someone has to become the face of the company. No shadow operations if you want to be remembered.

  4. Post consistently.

    You don’t need to go viral. You just need to stay top of mind. Pick your platform and show up.

  5. Tell the story, not just the specs.

    Founders often default to features. Talk about the mission, the struggle, the “why.” That’s what people remember.

  6. Correct the record publicly.

    If someone else is trying to hijack your narrative, address it fast. Silence looks like consent.

If your startup goes big — what’s most likely to erase you from the story?

(anonymous)

Login or Subscribe to participate in polls.

Reality matters. But narrative decides who gets remembered.

So whatever you’re building — build the product, yes.

But also build the myth.

Because in the end, the story you tell wins.

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Vasily Alekseenko
Founder
@ Rare Founders

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