That depends on how you define successful businessman.

If we look at valuations, then yeah. If we look at how much money all of his ventures make ? The picture is very different.

SpaceX - may or may not be profitable in the last year - it's hard to know. Until recently definitely no profitable

Tesla - really profitable since 2021, with great 2022 / 2023. Trending in the wrong direction recently

Twitter, xAI, boring, neuralink - all are money furnaces.

> SpaceX - may or may not be profitable in the last year - it's hard to know. Until recently definitely no profitable

SpaceX is very much in the same position as early Amazon.

If they wanted to, they could be profitable today. But they are investing heavily in the future.

IMO, that's a good sign for SpaceX. Many large companies have run out of ideas of what to do with money, so they accumulate it in bank accounts, or do dividends/stock buybacks.