Elon is an absolutely flawed character and is definitely not the 'greatest' American, but let's focus on the grander achievements of SpaceX and NASA both technically and business-wise, rather than the hero worship that Elon often gets.
The list of living Americans who've done more to rewrite our future -- electronic payments, cheap spaceflight, electric cars, cheap solar power -- is pretty short. Everyone's flawed, great people more than most, and I think Musk legitimately deserves a spot on the top 30 or so greatest living Americans list.
