People who considered him a hero 5-10 years ago were blinded by their own worship.
[1] https://xcancel.com/parismarx/status/1557702368417964032
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EDN5mmpVAAAYo1F.jpg?name=orig
The fault appears to be with California's mediocrity, not Elon. In fact this episode basically illustrates to me that Elon is not super-egotistical, and thought the state of California could do something great if they put their minds to it. The mindset that "Elon described an idea, but we know it would only succeed if Elon lead the project, so his not leading was an act of sabotage" is rather revealing.
By default, constructively criticizing a government project should be considered as a contribution.
https://www.reddit.com/r/slatestarcodex/comments/1ekv0n2/com...
I read Elon's biography like 10 years ago and came away with a positive impression. No one is perfect. Even if the Hyperloop thing is true, over-fixating on it seems like hindsight bias. With sufficient creativity, any event can be considered as foreshadowed.