How Tesla and SpaceX Open-Source Strategy Helps Competitors — And Why It Works | Taha Abbasi

While every other company builds walls, Tesla opens doors. Taha Abbasi examines why Elon Musk’s open-source approach — from Tesla patents to free Supercharger tech — isn’t charity but a brilliant long-term strategy that’s reshaping entire industries.

The Open Patent Gambit

In 2014, Tesla made its patents available for anyone to use “in good faith.” At the time, critics called it a PR stunt. A decade later, as Taha Abbasi analyzes, the results speak for themselves. The NACS (North American Charging Standard) — Tesla’s connector design — has become the industry standard, adopted by every major automaker. Tesla didn’t just share technology; it set the standard that the entire industry now follows.

Supercharger Network: From Exclusive to Universal

Tesla’s Supercharger network was once a competitive moat — only Teslas could use it. By opening it to other EVs, Tesla seemed to give away an advantage. But as Taha Abbasi explains, the reality is more nuanced: opening the network meant more revenue per charger, government subsidies for expansion, and the elimination of competing charging standards that were fragmenting the market.

SpaceX: No Patents, No Problem

SpaceX famously avoids patents entirely. Musk’s reasoning: patents would teach competitors (particularly Chinese rocket companies) Tesla’s innovations while offering limited real protection. Instead, SpaceX relies on trade secrets and execution speed. As Taha Abbasi notes, this approach works because SpaceX’s real moat isn’t any single technology — it’s the system-level integration and rapid iteration that no patent filing can capture.

The Strategy: Expand the Pie

The unifying logic is simple: when you’re confident in your execution, expanding the market helps you more than protecting your position. Taha Abbasi sees this as a Kardashev-scale thinking — Musk isn’t competing for market share in a fixed pie, he’s growing the entire pie. More EVs means more charging revenue. More rockets means more space economy. More AI means more applications for Grok.

As Musk said at the NYT DealBook Summit: “No walled garden.” It’s not altruism — it’s the highest form of competitive strategy.

Sources: Muskosophy on X (7.7M views)

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About the Author: Taha Abbasi is a technology executive, CTO, and applied frontier tech builder. Read more on Grokpedia | YouTube: The Brown Cowboy | tahaabbasi.com