Tesla is 'very close' to profitability, Musk says in staff email
- by Shaun Olson
- in Finance
- — Oct 2, 2018
Tesla Inc's settlement with US regulators will help soothe investors calling for more oversight of Chief Executive Elon Musk, experts said, even as it gives ammunition to short-sellers pursing separate cases and to a probe by the Justice Department. Under terms of the agreement, Musk also must give up his seat as chairman of the board of directors for at least three years.
Tech magnate Elon Musk agreed to step down as chairman of Tesla and will also pay a $20 million fine in a deal to settle charges by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).
The company said on Tuesday it missed its production target of 6,000 Model 3s by 700 cars in the final week of September and outlined hurdles it faced due to the worsening of President Donald Trump's trade war with China. "Funding secured." Later on, the SEC ruled that Musk never went through with his declaration and deal between the company and the Saudi sovereign wealth fund set to foot the bill on the buyout.
Various news reports in August and September claimed that the Tesla Model 3 has become the fifth best-selling auto model in the United States, after the Toyota Camry and Corolla and the Honda Civic and Accord.
In the immediate aftermath of the "funding secured" tweet, Tesla stock rose by six per cent. In the Los Angeles community of Marina del Rey, a steady stream of customers arrived while tractor trailers pulled in to unload vehicles that had been stored in Burbank. That also makes the Model 3 by far the bestselling electric vehicle in the US, outselling the Nissan Leaf and the Chevy Bolt EV by more than 10-to-1. The one in Brooklyn, for example, was quiet Saturday morning.
More news: Boy attacked by shark while diving for lobsters in California"Tesla and the board of directors are fully confident in Elon, his integrity, and his leadership of the company, which has resulted in the most successful USA auto company in over a century", it said in a statement before the settlement with the SEC was reached.
Others were so busy that volunteers showed up to help staff out.
"This weekend is the pivot point", he said, describing it as a watershed moment not just for the company but for the shift away from the internal combustion engine. At the moment however, Tesla has yet to name a new chairman.
Musk will reportedly buy $20 million worth of Tesla's stock at the next trading opportunity, according to a Bloomberg report, citing a person familiar with the matter. "The resolution is meant to prevent further market disruption and harm to Tesla's shareholders", said SEC enforcement division co-director Steven Peikin.
