There is a thread here in this sub forum that was a real time blog of the meeting. I think the blogging starts on page 3.
Personally, I thought the shareholder meeting was a damp squib. Here's what I got out of it:
- They are STILL working on production details of the Model X. The falcon wing door and seats continue to be a problem, production 3-4 months out, still, which is a push back of the latest prediction. And given they are still working on issues, 3-4 months could still be wrong and more delays possible.
- This new Model X delay WILL affect analyst quarterly revenue and profit predictions. With a very possible limited number of Model X shipping now only in the 4th quarter, 3Q, 4Q, and year end numbers (revenue and profit) are in jeopardy.
- While Model S have been selling strong in the west and south (read Atlanta) of the US, they are having issues penetrating the north east (majority of US population). You could read this as saying they still have room to grow in the US, or you could say they aren't going to sell much in the northeast until they spend on advertising.
- Elon admitted many messaging mistakes. Potential new Model S buyers were confused about Tesla's description of a "dual motor" car, not understanding that it is all wheel drive, and really not understanding that it blows away every single other AWD vehicle out there in terms of traction performance (except maybe for a tracked tank). Powerwall roll out was also bungled, with mixed messaging from Solarcity and Tesla not exactly providing much clarifying detail.
- The next version of the autopilot that includes active steering is still in development. Elon said he hoped it could be released to beta testers in one month, with roll out after that. He said each new release he tests either gets better or worse depending on the day. This doesn't fill me with confidence. My personal prediction is that we won't see this more autonomous release until end of year, if then. And it won't be as good as people want it to be.
- Elon admitted that to get to the next level of fully autonomous driving, the car will need, surprise!, a better hardware sensor suite, and probably a more robust computer architecture. A lot of people think the current hardware suite shipping now will get them to fully autonomous driving. They will be disappointed when they realize this isn't so.
- Gigafactory first product output not expected until mid next year - this might be a slight schedule slip, or at least, not positive news.
- Oh yeah, almost forgot: the very well respected CFO is resigning this year. That'll calm institutional investors!
I'm sorry guys, but I'm not seeing the upside from this shareholder's meeting...