I'd say someone like Musk can be perceived to get caught up in their vision of the future so much that they are out of touch with the broader market and trends; however congestion is of the top issues of the 2nd largest city in the US.

Boring under LA to relieve congestion creates a MASSIVE opportunity that, when refined, can be deployed into other markets and eventually used in space. It's a genius move.

Musk is a definite bad ass.