Tesla's mission is to accelerate the world's transition to sustainable energy. SpaceX's mission is to make humanity multi-planetary. These are not marketing statements — they are the criteria by which every significant decision is made. When Tesla faces a choice between a faster profitable action and a slower one that advances the mission, the mission is the tiebreaker. This mission-first approach has a practical benefit that is well evidenced: it attracts people who want to be part of something larger than a company, and who will work through difficulties that a purely commercially-motivated team would not. It also creates a natural filter for decisions — when the mission is large and clear, most strategic choices become easier because the question is simply 'does this advance the mission or not?'