Nikola Tesla arrived in the United States in 1884 with just four cents in his pocket, per Smithsonian. Though he didn't have much, much like electricity, he had plenty of potential. Tesla also had a letter of recommendation addressed to Thomas Edison that allegedly said, "My Dear Edison: I know two great men and you are one of them. The other is this young man!" In hindsight, Tesla might have recommended against working for Edison.
Tesla said Edison had apparently promised to pay him $50,000 if he could outdo the DC generator plants that Edison operated, at which point Tesla hopefully said, "Challenge accepted" in his best Barney Stinson voice. Once Nikola Tesla Stinson surmounted the challenge, the Wizard of Menlo Park transformed into the Wizard of Oz, reneging on his $50,000 offer and calling it a joke. Clearly unamused, Tesla quit and became a ditch digger.