>Tesla was definitely not a "bad decision for investors", the ROI for his inventions is some significant fraction of the economic value of the global electrical system. But yeah, a couple of his projects failed at some point. Surely a terrible investment!
I feel like this is soo close to getting it. Yes, for those investors it was a bad investment. Their goal isnt global economic value and the success of other projects isnt a consolation.
My point was Westinghouse benefited immensely from Tesla's patents. His AC transmission network wouldn't have been possible without them.
My second point was not every investment in a founder will yield a huge result - many will fail. It's a game of numbers, and just because some of Tesla's projects didn't work out didn't mean he was a "terrible investment".
I feel like this is soo close to getting it. Yes, for those investors it was a bad investment. Their goal isnt global economic value and the success of other projects isnt a consolation.