Coming from Norway - on of the testing grounds of EVs, I remember when Model S hit the market back in 2012, or 2013? In either case, they were more or less the only EV you'd see around the time. And they were everywhere.

Fast-forward 10 years, and their presence has been seriously diluted. They're just another EV. If anything, they feel and look flimsy as hell - my coworker got a brand new last year, and I was shocked how...cheap it feels? My other coworker got a Toyota, which feels rock solid. Doesn't help that the Tesla has been in the repair shop twice.

So if I was going to judge Tesla, based on their cars alone, no way in hell would I value them like they've been for the past 5 years. Their market cap is twice the size of Toyota, and around 10-15 times the other traditional car brands (all whom are catching up in the EV market)

But, Tesla as a company does have some advantages. Their sales model, their charging system, etc.

Did Musk hit his goals? Sure thing. But I honestly don't think it was his strategy that alone that got him there - I believe a lot of the price increase came due to the world finally catching up with EV vehicles (and seeing the general trend of moving away from ICE vehicles to EV), and Tesla being at well-positioned. Then the meme-stock effect.