When @elonmusk sold Paypal (and cashed $165m), one of the first things he did was cold call a rocket expert (Jim Cantrell).

Below is the text of the greatest cold outreach ever.

Original article, with Cantrell explaining his reaction to the call:

"It was almost staccato how quickly he spoke...Not, ‘Hello, how are you?’ – sales pitch, boom. Like listening to some televangelist or someone who called me on the phone.”

https://www.cnbc.com/2018/08/28/elon-musk-once-cold-called-rocket-scientist-and-it-led-to-spacex.html

I love Twitter.

Jim Cantrell -- the rocket expert recipient of Elon's cold call has replied to the thread (and remembers it to be accurate)! https://twitter.com/jamesncantrell/status/1301713412947230725?s=20

Jim added one more note https://twitter.com/jamesncantrell/status/1301999759729864710?s=20

The call is a masterclass in the Public Narrative rhetorical technique:
• Story of self (personal story = "internet billionaire")
• Story of us (collective story to show shared purpose = "multiplanet species")
• Story of now (urgent story that needs action = "Russian rockets")