If investors have learned one thing about Elon Musk, it's that he rarely gives up. The Tesla chief executive is never so determined as when you doubt him.
He takes pleasure in showing his detractors that they were wrong and seems to take equal pleasure in soaking up the adoration and admiration that his fans have for him.
Both of those points have been at work since the electric-car tycoon was asked by the Ukrainian authorities to help the country stay on the internet after Russia's Feb. 24 invasion of the country.
Not only did Musk respond favorably to the request, but he went on to actively support the Ukrainians.
"Hold Strong Ukraine," he tweeted on March 4.
Musk also spoke by video with the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and made promises for the post-war period, according to a post by Zelenskyy.
"Talked to @elonmusk. I'm grateful to him for supporting Ukraine with words and deeds," Zelenskyy wrote on Twitter on March 5. "Next week we will receive another batch of Starlink systems for destroyed cities. Discussed possible space projects. But I'll talk about this after the war."
A Big Surprise for Ukrainians
Zelenskyy, who was referring to the Starlink satellite internet service offered by Musk's SpaceX, didn't provide more details.
The top diplomats from Ukraine and Russia on Thursday failed to reach agreement on a cease-fire or even to ease the worsening humanitarian crisis in Ukraine. That dashed any hope that Russia might soon pull back from the two-week-old conflict, which has killed hundreds and displaced millions.
It is an understatement to say that Musk has become something of a hero for Ukrainians. And he just made two new announcements that will no doubt reinforce that status.
To Ukrainian Vice Prime Minister Mykhailo Fedorov -- who on Wednesday thanked Musk for sending additional Starlink terminals to enable remote and damaged Ukrainian cities to keep access to the Internet -- the Tesla CEO made an unexpected announcement.
"Received the second shipment of Starlink stations! @elonmusk keeps his word!' Fedorov wrote. "Thank you for supporting Ukraine and peace in the entire world!"
To which Musk replied that:
"You're welcome." And he went on to say that: "We have also sent power adapters for car cigarette lighters, solar/battery packs and generators for places where electricity is not available."
Tesla to Pay Conscripted Ukrainian Employees
Starlink, the first consumer product from Musk's SpaceX company, is high-speed internet powered by a network of thousands of small low-orbit satellites.
It enables residents of areas poorly served by the fixed and mobile networks of telecom operators to access the Internet. The thousands of small satellites circulate in low orbit -- mainly 342 miles or 550 kilometers above Earth.
The system also needs ground stations all around the globe communicating with the satellites.
Musk did not stop there. Tesla and he just made an equally important move.
Tesla has undertaken to pay its Ukrainian employees for as long as three months if they are conscripted to fight the Russians.
Ukrainian employees of the electric-vehicle maker based in the Europe-Mideast-Africa region will receive at least three months' salary if called upon to defend their country, according to an email sent by the company to employees on Monday.
After three months, Tesla intends to reassess the situation with the employees in question to determine what their needs are.
"For any Tesla employees who is a Ukrainian national and has been asked to return to Ukraine for active duty as a reservist, we will maintain their employment and salary for 3 months, with a view to assessing after this period as needed," wrote Mariam Khalifa, director of people for the EMEA region, and Joe Ward Sr, director for EMEA.
If Tesla does not have a presence in Ukraine, the company says 5,000 Tesla car owners are there.
"Tesla emailed local owners announcing that several supercharger stations near Ukraine could be used by Tesla and non-Tesla electric vehicles, free of charge," the company said.
"Although Tesla does not officially operate within Ukraine, any of the country’s estimated 5,000 Tesla owners can access free supercharging at select stations in Poland, Hungary [and] Slovakia."
CNBC was the first media outlet to report this latest information.
