When Aston Martin CEO Treated Elon Musk Like An "Amateur Car Builder"

Elon Musk's Tesla is today counted among the world's most valuable car companies, but there was once a time when the billionaire entrepreneur was treated like an "amateur car builder" by the CEO of one of the world's leading luxury car manufacturers. Over a decade after the CEO of Aston Martin acted "quite grumpy" as Elon Musk toured its factory, the Tesla and SpaceX CEO has responded to the incident in a surprising tweet. 

The incident was first described in the 2015 book Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future by Ashlee Vance, but gained attention after a viral tweet on Wednesday evening.

"Hey @elonmusk how did your visit in 2008 to @astonmartin change what you did with @tesla?" asked a Twitter account called 'Tesla Owners Silicon Valley'. 

The tweet went on to describe the visit, writing: "when Musk visited Aston Martin to see a tour of its factory, the CEO treated @elonmusk 'like an amateur car builder'".

Elon Musk, 49, confirmed the incident and admitted that the Aston Martin CEO was not quite in the wrong. "He was indeed quite grumpy, but we did not actually know what we were doing, so he had a point," Mr Musk wrote.

He was indeed quite grumpy, but we did not actually know what we were doing, so he had a point

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 17, 2020

His reply has been 'liked' over 2,700 times on the microblogging platform. 

According to Yahoo News, Ashlee Vance revealed in his book that Elon Musk fell into a slump after his divorce in 2008. Hoping to lift his spirits, his friend Bill Lee asked him to accompany him on a visit to London, during which Mr Musk visited Aston Martin to tour its factory. The CEO treated Elon Musk "like an amateur car builder," Mr Vance wrote.

In July this year, Tesla Inc became the world's highest-valued automaker, overtaking Toyota Motors Corp. Founded in 2003, Tesla is known for manufacturing electric cars.