I actually don't read Elon's comments like Fred does: Elon Musk plans to sell ‘major’ stake in Tesla in ‘about 20 years’ to finance SpaceX’s Mars plans The way I read those two tweets: he will sell regularly, and will use that for a few things. Financing Mars being one of them. The 20-year horizon seems rather undefined as that what he intends to do with that. Retire?
The way i read it, he will sell a majority stake (only) after 20 years and still retain some. And he also said in another tweet, he would continue to sell every few years only for these two reasons: - to pay his taxes - for charity that will remain anonymous.
Elon is likely choosing a different path to billionaire gifting versus the Buffett/Gates group that's signed a giving pledge of more than half their fortunes. Nothing wrong with providing clean water and agriculture to third world countries. Maybe these folks will even be responsible for funding some cures for cancer. Always thinking big, Elon's got the survival of the human species on his mind.
Here are the two Tweets: Elon Musk on Twitter Elon Musk on Twitter What I'm really saying is that you cannot connect the 20 year horizon with Mars. Mars is ongoing according to what Elon said there, not just a future thing.
This is something Elon has said for a number of years. Tesla's mission statement is to promote and accelerate sustainable transport and sustainable energy. As Elon has said forever, moving to sustainable transportation and energy is inevitable. The question was always how soon. Tesla was created to showcase the advantages of sustainable transportation and Solar City was sustainable energy. It has been successful at doing both. Tesla isn't going to go away but its goal is being met. As we know Elon wants humanity to be multi-planetary as his other major goal. That goal has a long long way to go. Elon will hopefully live long enough to see that goal coming to fruition. The cost to make that goal come to pass is hundreds of billions to possibly a number of trillions. Elon understands this. So he has said that he intends to spend his wealth on making that goal happen. So saying that he will divest himself of Tesla shares to pay for Mars is just accelerating that more difficult goal.
Yup. I just think he will do this right now, next year and so on. Not as one big push in 20 years as that article stated.
That might be what he feels he should do but Tesla is a publicly held company and Elon knows that would have an impact on the stock price. So he won't do it because he knows it would hurt the company for a number of years to come. SpaceX isn't hurting for money enough that Elon needs to sell stock. Besides he promised that he wouldn't sell any Tesla stock and has contracted goals he must meet with Tesla. So 20 years would make sense. Maybe a little amount in ten years or more. JMHO.
I think it’s self-explanatory. In 20 years he’ll want to be heading to Mars himself and to ensure the colonization is well on its way to succeeding before he dies there.