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Love that Goldman Sachs, which has been described as "Vampire Squid on the face of humanity" is largely ignored for the racist rhetoric.

Either way I'm for Tesla going private, it will be a better company without the daily stock market circus and mass media FUD. Also will help faster adoption of sustainable technologies. Its a shame that people with large amounts of money tend to be not nice..
 
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As of yesterday evening,

Goldman Sachs aka "the vampire squid" still maintained their research coverage of Tesla, with a sell rating and 12 month target of $195.

This would have to be suspended if they took on an advisory role.

Saudi Arabia has and continues to be the global wellspiring of aggressively medieval and oppressively intolerant Wahhabism.
The link to 9/11 and a host of earlier and later attacks is direct.

From Albania and Bosnia or Belgium to Egypt or once laid-back Malaysia and Indonesia, never mind your front and backyard mosques in Paris or Portland, they have systematically sponsored the most radical hate preachers. And as neroden has written too, these links are in no way conjecture. The evidence is clear.

Not only that, but people at home who dare criticize this undercover war on our essential liberties and established mores are dealt with in the harshest way that I cannot overlook.

Just a small "taste" of things:

...
Prominent blogger Raif Badawi served the fourth year of his 10-year sentence, but authorities did not flog him in 2016, as they previously did in January 2015.

In March, Saudi Arabia sentenced journalist Alaa Brinji to five years in prison and an eight-year travel ban for tweets in which he criticized religious authorities and voiced support for the right of women to drive and jailed human rights activists.
...
In February, a Saudi court reduced Palestinian poet Ashraf Fayadh’s punishment from the death penalty to eight years in prison for alleged blasphemous statements in a book of his poetry and during a discussion group.
...
World Report 2017: Rights Trends in Saudi Arabia

This is certainly not the only source of funds for Tesla at this juncture, and yes, it will implicate the cars and company in the terror network's actions, and every dehumanizing act of domestic repression, all financed by petrodollars.
 
From Tesla's latest 8-K filing from 14 August:
...
The special committee has the full power and authority of the Board of Directors to take any and all actions on behalf of the Board of Directors as it deems necessary to evaluate and negotiate a potential Going Private Transaction and alternatives to any transaction proposed by Mr. Musk. The special committee’s grant of authority provides that no Going Private Transaction will be consummated without the approval of the special committee. The special committee expects to provide a further update concerning the process associated with Mr. Musk’s proposal as soon as practicable.
...
SEC Filing | Tesla, Inc.

The SCTY deal has not filled me with confidence the board can stand up to Elon Musk, as has been noted by a judge in a related lawsuit.
 
And...? What?

The post above my comment about Germany's trade surplus had mentioned:

"Having the Saudis or Chinese own American companies is so wrong because neither of them reciprocate in their countries."

It may be a different concept - trade surplus vs investment ratios but surely some overlap in terms of policy, irrespective of how they treat their citizens which is obviously quite different.

It's not so wrong is all I'm saying when you look purely at all countries and all mechanisms of commerce.

However, I don't think that's been the spirit of this thread which has mostly revolved around whether people are comfortable with the Saudi's being significant investors or part owners of Tesla.

Personally, I'm not a fan of Saudi involvement and it would certainly make me think twice though I'd probably be OK with 10-15% to limit influence realizing that unless I go to extremes to figure out and divest myself personally and financially of any associations with bad actors, I'm being a little hypocritical. Though perhaps if there was some grand ranking system, one could make decisions based on that.

At 20% or above, I think I would consider a different EV. Just my personal line. I don't discredit all the atrocities that have and are occurring and that would bother me I know.
 
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The post above my comment about Germany's trade surplus had mentioned:

"Having the Saudis or Chinese own American companies is so wrong because neither of them reciprocate in their countries."

Ah, I see.

However, I don't think that's been the spirit of this thread which has mostly revolved around whether people are comfortable with the Saudi's being significant investors or part owners of Tesla.

Personally, I'm not a fan of Saudi involvement and it would certainly make me think twice though I'd probably be OK with 10-15% to limit influence realizing that unless I go to extremes to figure out and divest myself personally and financially of any associations with bad actors, I'm being a little hypocritical. Though perhaps if there was some grand ranking system, one could make decisions based on that.

At 20% or above, I think I would consider a different EV. Just my personal line. I don't discredit all the atrocities that have and are occurring and that would bother me I know.

Yes, I see what you're saying. Makes sense.

I find it troubling, though, that so many on this forum are not bothered at all, even mocking me for saying this. I would have thought there'd be more outcry here.
 
@notacoalminer. I’ve been to Saudi many times, you are not wrong with your concerns. It’s just a different world there. When I first went I thought it would be streets lined in gold with oppression as a cultural quirk. It’s not, it’s backwards in all the wrong ways. Rich, brainless, incompetent, entitled people controlling a lot of oil money. Sad Elon considers them as a big shareholder. Kinda exactly the opposite of what I hoped for Tesla.

Rant over and just personal opinion BTW.
 
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I find it troubling, though, that so many on this forum are not bothered at all, even mocking me for saying this. I would have thought there'd be more outcry here.

I think most people don't know much about it yet. Many of those who do know about it are probably waiting to hear more facts so that they can make an educated decision.
 
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@notacoalminer Taking some heat for your stance on the matter isn't necessarily a bad thing. It may be that most prefer zero Saudi involvement but just feel it's not appropriate to be attaching such a strong moral weight to economic decisions generally. If this is one's view, one example probably isn't going to change their mind but it might be causing some to re-think/expand their position and that's a good thing so I applaud your efforts.

It's a bit of a polarizing issue in the context of this forum. People can be very entrenched in their beliefs. We're already outliers to a certain extent for our support of EV's so any disrupting forces will likely experience some blow-back and risk being "filtered" in with all the other negative EV talk which often generates quick, opposing viewpoints.
 
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@notacoalminer Taking some heat for your stance on the matter isn't necessarily a bad thing. It may be that most prefer zero Saudi involvement but just feel it's not appropriate to be attaching such a strong moral weight to economic decisions generally. If this is one's view, one example probably isn't going to change their mind but it might be causing some to re-think/expand their position and that's a good thing so I applaud your efforts.

It's a bit of a polarizing issue in the context of this forum. People can be very entrenched in their beliefs. We're already outliers to a certain extent for our support of EV's so any disrupting forces will likely experience some blow-back and risk being "filtered" in with all the other negative EV talk which often generates quick, opposing viewpoints.

I wouldn't say most ppl see if as an economic decision, more as a "save the planet" decision, economic being a smaller, required component of that.
 
Last post I promise: Trumps first international visit was to Saudi. Why? Arms sales? Maybe.

Americans think that People outside the US all hate you but we don’t! You are not perfect but by God you have made huge sacrifice for keeping the peace around the world in the last 100 years and we would be screwed without you!
 
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Last post I promise: Trumps first international visit was to Saudi. Why? Arms sales? Maybe.

Americans think that People outside the US all hate you but we don’t! You are not perfect but by God you have made huge sacrifice for keeping the peace around the world in the last 100 years and we would be screwed without you!

Permission to attack Yemen & blessing of the embargo on Qatar. iirc the Qatar embargo happened a few days after he left.
 
*cough* *cough* ;)

Thank you! I just came here to rectify my misinformation, and will proceed to correct the source post-haste.

So to be explicit, the vampire squid aka Goldman Sachs is presently advising Tesla and has recused itself from rating the stock.

Albeit, quote: "Earnings estimates during this period will be made without regard to the proposed matter.""
 
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Thank you! I just came here to rectify my misinformation, and will proceed to correct the source post-haste.

So to be explicit, the vampire squid aka Goldman Sachs is presently advising Tesla and has recused itself from rating the stock.

Albeit, quote: "Earnings estimates during this period will be made without regard to the proposed matter.""

Clarification -- according to Elon's tweet Monday night, Goldman is advising him on the proposal to take Tesla private. Tesla has its own advisors.

Elon Musk‏Verified account @elonmusk Aug 13
Replying to @Tesla
I’m excited to work with Silver Lake and Goldman Sachs as financial advisors, plus Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz and Munger, Tolles & Olson as legal advisors, on the proposal to take Tesla private​
 
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