People have to (and I include myself here) be able to separate achievements from the personality. I don't like Musk as a person, but to say he's not done anything of note is simply dishonest.

That said, I think the only reasonable conclusion is that this is a perfectly designed publicity stunt. And, it looks like it worked.

The fine print on the roadster pre-orders say the flying car is not an option. So, why do it? Well, because it made us look.