So Elon Musk just launched Tesla’s newest product - the Cybertruck, to great fanfare and ‘fiasco’. But I’m not here to talk about how his net worth plunged or the ‘failed’ demo. I want to talk about the crazy, bad-ass of a truck, its design boldness, and its implications.

Some industry experts in car design commented how Tesla has serious balls to design such a futuristic, cyberpunk cross between the movie Tron, the Back To The Future DeLorean and the F-117 stealth fighter. It has plain and simple stainless steel bulletproof body, sharp corners and edges, and armoured glass. It’s as badass as it sounds. I mean, seriously, why does a truck need bulletproof body and armoured glass?! Are they expecting consumers to drive this into a warzone? (though it does look fit for a warzone, like a scene straight out of the game Halo). Later he announced that there’s a pressurized version of the Cybertruck for Mars. Then it made all sense. Cybertruck was never meant for terrestrial roads. It’s meant for Martian red soil and the harsh conditions of space exploration! (Interpretation my own)

What a lofty but inspiring dream! 

Has any car manufacturer ever designed and built a vehicle destined for outer space?! He could have kept it safe, and designed the truck with sleek curves like Tesla Model cars which will probably get more popular consumer acceptance, but nooo… 

I love how he brings to life that zany boldness in his products. Products that help us dream, as an individual, as a species. As a product maker, that’s super inspiring to observe. It’s so easy to make products that has mass appeal, that will sell, that is simple, clear, functional, grounded and realistic. It takes a different level of balls to make something like the Cybertruck. A product that works, but also make us dream.

A product I made last year that made me dream was Space Nomads, a fictional space travel tour agency for the masses in the not-too-distant future. Of course, compared to Cybertruck, SpaceX and all Elon Musk’s other products, Space Nomads pales in comparison. But the spark remains the same. Cybertruck reminded me that though the scale differs vastly, I can still make products in my little world that can spur me or others to have a sense of wonder. 

To dream. Higher. Loftier. Bolder. Better.