The two sides of Elon Musk

The trial is, on one level, a business dispute over the SolarCity deal, which some Tesla shareholders view as a boondoggle that Musk forced through for his own purposes. (SolarCity was run by his cousins, he was part owner, and it was in financial crisis when Tesla bought it.) But for Musk, the stakes are higher. It’s a referendum on his own leadership, integrity, and vision. Put another way: It’s about whether he’s Daedalus, the resourceful mastermind, or Icarus, flirting with disaster and bound for a tragic fall.