Elon Musk once praised Ratan Tata as a “gentleman and a scholar” in an old interview that has resurfaced online. In a 2009 interview with American journalist Charlie Rose the founder and CEO of electric automobile company Tesla shared his opinion of Ratan Tata and his pet project the Tata Nano car. A short clip from the larger interview became viral in notime. During the interview Charlie Rose asked Elon Musk about Ratan Tata and his idea of introducing a low-cost car in the Indian market. The interview took place months after Tata Motors launched the Nano for ₹1 lakh in India. It was during this interview that the Indian legend praised the world’s most controversial tech mogul. Tata was astounded. Not only was Musk achieving what NASA did but he was doing it at twice the speed and one-tenth of the cost. The Indian business tycoon saw something extraordinary: a leader who surrounded himself with a team that didn’t ask if something was possible but rather how it could be done. He does it because hes able to develop a team around him that doesnt say things cannot be done but have the attitude of saying How do we do it? Tata remarked highlighting the culture of innovation that defined Musk’s early success. Sri. RATAN TATA ji on ELON MUSK. Both are Awesome at HEART. @elonmusk #ElonMusk pic.twitter.com/YfgcCUyY2c — Suresh Madha (@suresmadha) January 19 2025 Difficult time for Elon Musk Elon Musk faces immense challenges as Teslas market value drops by $125 billion driven by declining sales in Europe and China. Protests and the #TeslaTakedown movement further exacerbate the situation. Ratan Tata once praised Musk’s innovative spirit but now regaining trust and reducing distractions are crucial for Musk to recover and lead Tesla forward.