Recently Tesla Motors announced that it will not enforce patents for the technology it developed for electric vehicles.  Isn’t it interesting that Tesla’s CEO, Elon Musk, has decided to go in the direction that open source programming has taken?

What do you think about it?

I think it’s rad, and here’s why.

Tesla makes beautiful cars. No, really, their cars are simply gorgeous. The truth is that whether it is a pure act of generosity or a tactic, it is still good. In fact, anytime business leaders make the decision to open themselves up for collaboration, it is a great thing.

Some say the real play is batteries.  I’ve read that the price of electric cars will come down once someone begins mass producing a high capacity battery with a long power tail, and I read somewhere that Tesla is getting involved in the manufacturing of the batteries.

Who cares?  We win anyway.So while the critics and pundits lament that this is nothing but a publicity stunt, I am excited to see the opportunity it might bring.

As a leader, what act of generosity or tactic have you shared recently that was misunderstood?