Its been two decades since EV giant Tesla was started. The majority of the world¡¯s richest person, Elon Musk¡¯s wealth is tied to Tesla, the company he himself is the CEO of.?But contrary to popular belief,?Elon Musk?is not the person who started Tesla.?
So who was the brain behind starting Tesla, the EV giant currently worth more than $600 billion (market cap)? Well, there were two people who started Tesla.
The creators and founding executives of Tesla are Martin Eberhard and Marc Tarpenning. They originally founded Tesla on July 1, 2003. Their dream was to create a modern automotive company with a focus on technologically advanced batteries, computer software, and electric motors, which were uncommon at the time.
As per American online publishing platform Medium¡¯s report, Martin served as the CEO of Tesla, while Marc served as the CFO. The company was named after the late Serbian-American inventor Nikola Tesla.
The first product the duo planned to launch was the Tesla Roadster, a high-performance electric sports car.
A couple of years ago, Martin Eberhard and Marc Tarpenning sat down to share memories of what it was like to build and deliver the first Tesla Roadster vehicles, what it took to convince the world that electric cars could be as enticing as luxury sports cars, and how they brought Elon Musk?on board, as per a CNBC report.
They had first met with Musk at a gathering for members of the Mars Society?and bonded through their shared love of space exploration. (That was even before Musk had started his re-usable rocket company, SpaceX.)
Eberhard was eventually ¡°voted off the island,¡± he said, resulting in a contentious lawsuit and eventual settlement. But he is still a Tesla shareholder. Tarpenning had said he still speaks with Musk occasionally and resigned from Tesla just as they were developing their flagship Model S sedan. Looking back,?he said he has no regrets.?
¡°The whole thing was wonderful from the beginning to the end. It was, you know, the worst and the best. And it¡¯s worked out great.¡±
Also Read;?Why Apple CEO Tim Cook Once Rejected?Elon Musk's?Offer To Buy Tesla
Elon Musk has served as Tesla CEO?since?October 2008?and as a member of the board since April 2004. He had been leading Tesla¡¯s all-product design, engineering, and global manufacturing of the company's electric vehicles, battery products, and solar energy products.
Also Read:?How?Elon Musk?Had Almost Sold?Tesla?To Google For $6 Billion
Last year (in 2022), Musk made a bold prediction,?mentioning that he sees Tesla becoming bigger than the combined valuation of Apple and Saudi Aramco one day. At present, Tesla has a market cap of $672.6 billion, whereas Apple and Saudi Aramco¡¯s market caps are $2.9 trillion and $2.16 trillion, respectively.
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