pitch unfairly

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Tesla, 2006. Pitched unfairly, 2026.

Sports car first. It pays for the rest. Same story, same numbers. Rebuilt the way we'd pitch it today.

Template: Product roadmap

  • $89k Roadster
  • 3 cars, 1 order
  • Posted Aug 2, 2006
Play the 2026 deck Read the real story Steal the structure
2006 Product roadmap

Tesla

Sports car first. It pays for the rest.

Legend
Original craft
Unfair

The story→12 slides

It's a live deck. Press start, then scroll or use the arrow keys, or play it full screen.

Play the 2026 deck

Tesla's product roadmap, slide by slide

Every slide opens the live deck right where it is.

  1. Tesla deck, slide 1: Sports car first. It pays for the rest. 01Sports car first. It pays for the rest.
  2. Tesla deck, slide 2: The goal isn't a car. It's a solar electric economy. 02The goal isn't a car. It's a solar electric economy.
  3. Tesla deck, slide 3: One prototype, revealed two weeks ago. 03One prototype, revealed two weeks ago.
  4. Tesla deck, slide 4: Now is committed. Next is planned. Later is a direction. 04Now is committed. Next is planned. Later is a direction.
  5. Tesla deck, slide 5: Built to beat a gasoline sports car. 05Built to beat a gasoline sports car.
  6. Tesla deck, slide 6: A four-door family car at roughly half the price. 06A four-door family car at roughly half the price.
  7. Tesla deck, slide 7: Cheaper again, and deliberately vague. 07Cheaper again, and deliberately vague.
  8. Tesla deck, slide 8: Every Roadster sold pays for the family car. 08Every Roadster sold pays for the family car.
  9. Tesla deck, slide 9: Three things we said no to, in writing. 09Three things we said no to, in writing.
  10. Tesla deck, slide 10: We judge the plan by CO2 per km. 10We judge the plan by CO2 per km.
  11. Tesla deck, slide 11: The team sees dates. Customers see four lines. 11The team sees dates. Customers see four lines.
  12. Tesla deck, slide 12: Next roadmap review: July 20, 2016. 12Next roadmap review: July 20, 2016.

Then · 2006

How it really went

Read the real storythe Tesla Motors blog post of August 2, 2006, via the Wayback Machine
  1. Aug 2, 2006: a blog post, not a deck, two weeks after the Roadster prototype reveal
  2. The goal: help move from a mine-and-burn hydrocarbon economy to a solar electric one
  3. Step one: a high-performance electric sports car at an $89k price point
  4. Why start there: new tech has a high unit cost, so enter at the high end
  5. Step two: a sporty four-door family car at roughly half the price
  6. Step three: an even more affordable car; all free cash flow goes back into R&D
  7. In parallel: zero-emission power, starting with SolarCity panels
  8. The long-tailpipe math: 12.6 g CO2 per km against the Prius's 35.8
  9. Signed off: "Don't tell anyone."
  10. Then: Roadster 2008, Model S 2012, Part Deux in 2016, Model 3 in 2017

Now · 2026 · 12 slides

What we changed

  • The plan meets what shippedA Now, Next, Later board with confidence by horizon. Toggle it and the real ship dates stamp on: Feb 2008, June 2012, July 2017.
  • The money actually flowsCash runs from the Roadster to the family car to the third car. Flip to "cheap car first" and the pipe runs dry at step one.
  • One roadmap, two audiencesInternal shows confidence, dates and dependencies. Customer hides them all and leaves four lines and "Don't tell anyone."
  • Outcomes, not carsSuccess is measured in grams of CO2 per kilometre, with the post's own well-to-wheel numbers drawn as the chart.

Steal the structure

Build your product roadmap like Tesla did.

  1. 01 The goal The outcome the roadmap serves, as a from-and-to. Products are outputs.
  2. 02 Where we are now A timeline of what has happened, with a "you are here" pin and the next real milestone.
  3. 03 Now, Next, Later The whole roadmap on one board, each horizon with its confidence level.
  4. 04 Now What is committed and funded, with the specs that prove it is real.
  5. 05 Next What is planned, as a direction and a target, no date until there is one.
  6. 06 Later A direction only, deliberately vague, plus any parallel track.
  7. 07 How each step unlocks the next Dependencies as a flow, with the alternative that breaks it.
  8. 08 What we are not doing The obvious options you rejected, each with its reason.
  9. 09 How we'll know The outcome metric that says the plan is working, with a baseline.
  10. 10 Internal vs customer view The same roadmap with confidence, dates and dependencies hidden for customers.
  11. 11 Next review End on the date of the next roadmap, never "Thank you".

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