LOVELY:
After the first Falcon 1 rocket exploded 33 seconds after launch in March 2006, Elon Musk did something that his employees did not expect. He personally called the family members of the engineers who had worked on the rocket.
Not the engineers. Their families.
The engineers…
— Race 🕊️ (@multiplanet1) September 30, 2026
This stands out:
Elon called to tell them everyone was safe. That the failure was a known risk. That the team would try again. That their family member had done extraordinary work and the explosion was not a reflection of their ability.
One engineer’s wife said the call lasted 4 minutes. She said Elon sounded tired but calm. She said he didn’t minimize the failure or exaggerate the optimism. He stated the facts and said “your husband is brilliant and we are going to fly again.”
They did indeed.