Chapter 107

Musk and Chief Designer Franz von Holzhausen develop the Cybertruck concept, starting with traditional pickup truck designs before settling on a radically futuristic stainless steel vehicle with sharp angles and geometric forms. The chapter covers the design process from early 2017 through the public prototype reveal in November 2019, including Musk's push for bold innovation over market-tested conventionality.

In early 2017, Musk and von Holzhausen begin brainstorming Tesla's pickup truck design during their regular Friday studio sessions. Initial concepts based on traditional trucks like the Chevrolet Silverado feel too soft. After visiting the Petersen Automotive Museum and discovering pickup trucks have barely evolved in eighty years, they pivot to reconsidering the truck's fundamental materials and structure. Musk becomes fascinated with stainless steel—influenced by his simultaneous interest in steel rockets—and decides to build the entire truck body from the material. Charles Kuehmann, VP of materials engineering at both Tesla and SpaceX, develops a proprietary cold-rolled stainless steel alloy strong and affordable enough for vehicles and rockets. Using stainless steel as an exoskeleton load-bearing structure enables sharp angles and geometric designs rather than traditional curved panels. In October 2018, emerging from his most difficult year, Musk refocuses on the truck project and demands boldness, rejecting conventional approaches. His son Saxon's question—"Why doesn't the future look like the future?"—becomes Musk's guiding mantra. He pushes the design team toward futuristic references from Cyberpunk 2077, Halo, and Blade Runner, dismissing concerns about marketability. By July 2019, von Holzhausen and Dave Morris present a stark, angular full-size mock-up with diamond facets; Musk immediately approves it as the Cybertruck, despite significant internal resistance from other designers and engineers. Facing three-month deadline pressure instead of the usual nine months, the team completes a drivable prototype for public reveal. On November 21, 2019, the presentation to press and guests produces shocked reactions and comparisons to art rather than vehicles. During the demonstration, an armor glass window unexpectedly cracks when struck with a metal ball, creating an awkward moment. Tesla's stock drops 6 percent the next day, but Musk views the reveal as successful and celebrates by driving the prototype to Nobu restaurant with Grimes.