Comment by buran77

I think a lot of people knew there is something unrealistic about Tesla's video and the promises even back then. But Musk's charisma and fan base sort of pushed this idea deep down. There were super popular websites completely dedicated to praising Tesla or Musk and no chance of any negative/realistic comment ever surviving.

Times have changed, Musk's debt (in every sense) caught up with him. Tides have shifted, his charisma has worn off. And people are starting to notice or remember the cracks that were always there. 7 years after that promise it's hard to imagine anyone still realistically believed in it or him.

In contrast Nikola's video survived scrutiny for far less time. It had none of Musk's advantages, the ability to steal people's imagination and make them just bury those red flags. The fact that they sold trucks didn't help with this.