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  • November 2018 (Revised January 2020)
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Tesla, Inc. in 2018

By: Siko Sikochi, Suraj Srinivasan and Quinn Pitcher
  • Format:Print
  • | Language:English
  • | Pages:27
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Abstract

On August 7, 2018 Elon Musk, Chairman and CEO of Tesla tweeted that he was considering taking Tesla private and had secured funding. Weeks went by without details about a deal and speculation grew that Musk had misled investors. He soon abandoned the idea, but the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) charged him with violating securities laws by either knowingly or recklessly misleading investors. The lawsuit was settled with Musk agreeing to step down as Tesla chairman for three years while remaining as a director on the board and CEO. On November 7, 2018, Tesla announced the appointment of Robyn Denholm as Chair of the Tesla Board. Observers were cautiously optimistic that an independent chairman could ease longstanding governance concerns. Ms. Denholm was regarded as a good choice, but details about her role remained unclear and the jury was still out on her independence from Musk.

Keywords

Disclosure Regulation; Board Independence; Corporate Governance; Business and Shareholder Relations; Governing and Advisory Boards

Citation

Sikochi, Siko, Suraj Srinivasan, and Quinn Pitcher. "Tesla, Inc. in 2018." Harvard Business School Case 119-013, November 2018. (Revised January 2020.)
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About The Authors

Anywhere Sikochi

Accounting and Management
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Suraj Srinivasan

Accounting and Management
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Related Work

    • May 2019
    • Faculty Research

    Tesla, Inc. in 2018

    By: Siko Sikochi and Suraj Srinivasan
    • November 2018 (Revised January 2020)
    • Faculty Research

    Tesla, Inc. in 2018

    By: Siko Sikochi, Suraj Srinivasan and Quinn Pitcher
Related Work
  • Tesla, Inc. in 2018 By: Siko Sikochi and Suraj Srinivasan
  • Tesla, Inc. in 2018 By: Siko Sikochi, Suraj Srinivasan and Quinn Pitcher
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