How did he "get" the stock of his own companies? Who allocated the capital within those companies? Is not Musk's time a considerably valuable investment unto itself?

Also, reminder, he didn't found Tesla. He was one of its initial investors.

We can split hairs and refine definitions until we exclude him from the category of successful investors, but, at a certain point, it's a little hard to believe.

In any event, it is quite clear that Musk has no intention of being a silent investor. Rather, he's going to be an operator. And in that regard, he is nearly unparalleled.