"Its also worth pointing out most, if not all of Tesla's patents, are based on previous works and are not original works."
As is every other patent ever. No scientific breakthrough or cutting edge device is ever created out of thin air. Nearly all of them are through combining and expounding upon existing theory and research. Relativity, for all its brilliance, was an extension of existing thought in theoretical physics at the time that had been coming to a head over the course of centuries prior to that. It is no coincidence that so many great discoveries and inventions in recent history have ended in a race to the patent office or a highly publicized science drama between great minds. Often these great thinkers are working on the same things at the same time because those are the subjects the scientific world is chattering about. Even so, Tesla created a number of things, such as radio control, that were well ahead of his contemporaries and immensely improved upon existing ideas such as Edison's DC systems. He is definitely worth some fair criticism, but not on this basis.
As to his business success, I can hardly see how that's even relevant. Few great scientists have also been great entrepreneurs. I'll agree he didn't fail solely on the basis of Edison's supposed feud with him, but neither does his lack of success at business diminish him as a successful engineer and scientist.
As is every other patent ever. No scientific breakthrough or cutting edge device is ever created out of thin air. Nearly all of them are through combining and expounding upon existing theory and research. Relativity, for all its brilliance, was an extension of existing thought in theoretical physics at the time that had been coming to a head over the course of centuries prior to that. It is no coincidence that so many great discoveries and inventions in recent history have ended in a race to the patent office or a highly publicized science drama between great minds. Often these great thinkers are working on the same things at the same time because those are the subjects the scientific world is chattering about. Even so, Tesla created a number of things, such as radio control, that were well ahead of his contemporaries and immensely improved upon existing ideas such as Edison's DC systems. He is definitely worth some fair criticism, but not on this basis.
As to his business success, I can hardly see how that's even relevant. Few great scientists have also been great entrepreneurs. I'll agree he didn't fail solely on the basis of Edison's supposed feud with him, but neither does his lack of success at business diminish him as a successful engineer and scientist.