"They're probably only funded because it's Elon Musk behind them."
And because of significant advantages and opportunities. Tesla, for example, benefits from the department of energy loan program as well as other tax incentives (like ZEV credits, which comprised most of their revenue thusfar)
Well, those opportunities were there for anyone to take, but Musk succeeded in both electric cars (vs Fisker, Nissan, Toyota, etc) AND in space (vs Virgin, Armadillo, Scaled Composites, etc). So at this point, I'd say that funding Musk is a safer bet than funding an opportunity.
And because of significant advantages and opportunities. Tesla, for example, benefits from the department of energy loan program as well as other tax incentives (like ZEV credits, which comprised most of their revenue thusfar)