TSLA Market Action: 2018 Investor Roundtable

[FirebirdAlpha]

He fights back when he feels he is right.

You ever fight back with a regulator or law enforcement personnel?

It doesn't end pretty for the guy fighting.

 

[SpaceCash]

As many of you know, I'm short.

But I am genuinely enraged by Musk's behavior. This is an embarrassment to US capitalism. What the hell is he thinking?

Taunting regulators achieves nothing and only hurts your shareholders.

As CEO and chairman, this man is ultimately responsible for over 40 billion in wealth across the country. What does he hope to achieve?

And why waste any time on Twitter at all? This is the most vital point in your company's history - why sit around and tweet? What do you hope to gain?

I just can't believe it.

Elon, if you do read this forum: bears and bulls agree, get the hell of Twitter.

ohhhhh nooooooo resident FUDster McShortstuff is ENWAGED at EWON!!!!

Bankwupcy imminent. Probably tomorrow.

 

[FirebirdAlpha]

Screw the SEC. They have settled the law suit, they are selling tons cars, they are close to being profitable .... So what's the worry. I am more bullish after his tweets today. Happy model 3 performance owner and share holder here.

The SEC can make any public company's life hell. SEC commissioner goes and says "alright, **** you too, we're sending in the forensic auditors."

That's why you don't "screw the SEC." It's why you don't taunt police officers, too.

 

[ZachF]

As many of you know, I'm short.

But I am genuinely enraged by Musk's behavior. This is an embarrassment to US capitalism. What the hell is he thinking?

Taunting regulators achieves nothing and only hurts your shareholders.

As CEO and chairman, this man is ultimately responsible for over 40 billion in wealth across the country. What does he hope to achieve?

And why waste any time on Twitter at all? This is the most vital point in your company's history - why sit around and tweet? What do you hope to gain?

I just can't believe it.

Elon, if you do read this forum: bears and bulls agree, get the hell of Twitter.

Not a fan of the recent tweets, but this seems about as sincere as an ambulance chasing lawyer who tears up from the lack of safety on public stairways.

 

[tander]

I think Musk wants to quit. Don't they have a babysitter for his twitter account yet? He agreed to it.

The company will be fine without Musk, of course, since they're structurally profitable now.

People don't realize how much each tweet or podcast interview is worth. The amount of PR Tesla has gotten out of all this is worth tens or maybe hundreds of millions. This stuff has probably reached more eyeballs to a broader audience than if they'd sponsored ten minutes of Super Bowl ads. Hard to believe it's basically all been done for free with a few taps on a phone from anywhere. Not a great role model though. If he starts electrocuting elephants like Edison, or the modern day equivalent, then hopefully Tesla and others would move on without him.

 

[brian45011]

Just wondering if there was more possible outcomes than just approved and not approved and going to court.

Mind, I'd be in favor of it being thrown, and pretty confident they could win at court if not (it'd just takes years of distraction). But don't know what all the possibilities are if the judge doesn't like the settlement.

District Court judges are subject to scrutiny on appeal. Competent judges rarely act sua sponte.

 

[Thekiwi]

The tweets tonight drove the value of tesla down by ~$1 Billion dollars in After Hours trading. It takes a lot of rationalizing I think to argue they were not a bad idea.

 

[juanmedina]

The SEC can make any public company's life hell. SEC commissioner goes and says "alright, **** you too, we're sending in the forensic auditors."

That's why you don't "screw the SEC." It's why you don't taunt police officers, too.

Sometimes you have to take a stand against corruption

 

[SpaceCash]

The tweets tonight drove the value of tesla down by ~$1 Billion dollars in After Hours trading. It takes a lot of rationalizing I think to argue they were not a bad idea.

not really, it didn't. It was a few thousand shares. If we don't fully recover tomorrow I'll stop posting for a week

 

[Unpilot]

Wow so much pearl clutching! Musk is a disrupted and a fighter. I for one like that.
I would not have invested so much of my net worth in ANY other company.
And the only reason we are all here talking about this is because of the very traits some are freaking out over.

Long...and strong #IStandwithMusk

 

[CuriousSunbird]

Elon has seen the light: "That said, even though they cause me grief, I would defend the right of shorts to exist. They are often unreasonably maligned."

I guess he has been following this thread.

 

[FirebirdAlpha]

not really, it didn't. It was a few thousand shares. If we don't fully recover tomorrow I'll stop posting for a week

Timestamped: Imgur

Today's close was 281.83

 

[neroden]

he has said that his time on twitter is minusucule, so time wise it really doesn't matter.

Musk needs a safer hobby than Twitter. Fire juggling? Cage fighting? Solo hot air balloon trips?

 

[humbaba]

IANAL, but a couple of thoughts about the legal angle:

• The settlement agreement is not yet approved by the judge, it's not yet entered as final judgement, so Elon is probably not bound by its terms yet - mocking the SEC is not against the law.
• The SEC is a federal agency, if they retaliate in any fashion against Elon for voicing his opinion then that looks like a clear-cut violation of Elon's First Amendment rights.
• The SEC cannot simply rescind the agreement, nor can Elon. To rescind the SEC would have to prove to the judge that Elon does not intend to honor the agreement. Making lawful statements of opinion about a federal agency, before the agreement is entered as final judgement, do not appear to be valid grounds to rescind.

But keep in mind that IANAL.

Nevertheless doing this probably wasn't wise: Elon is (again) lashing out from a position of apparent weakness.

Instead he should start bribing the political process like absolutely every other billionaire does, and once Tesla is strong and has a moat of politicians protecting it, he should communicate from a position of strength.

You are forgetting one, small thing. Musk is not a shark like Bill Gates, he's a dreamer and an idealist. What on earth could make you ever think he could even conceive of stooping to bribery? Is it good business sense? Sure, works out great for the miscreants that do it. It doesn't make it right. And Elon is an idealist.

That is what I like about him. He is inspiring. A Bill Gates would not be publishing safety information on his cars. A Bill Gates would not squander money on making the safest car ever -- just enough to get the five stars is *more* than enough. Making that extra effort is costly and expensive. The last 10% is 90% of the cost. From a bean counter perspective it is all wasted money.

I'm glad that Elon Musk is leading Tesla. He pushes them to do things that go beyond. Things that I care about. Not just trying to make a better future with a successful EV, but making his cars better in ways that matter to *people*. Like pushing the envelope for safety. This is what I want from a CEO. An idealist, not a shark.

 

[anon]

Elon has seen the light: "That said, even though they cause me grief, I would defend the right of shorts to exist. They are often unreasonably maligned."

I guess he has been following this thread.

What are you referring to? I don't see any follow-up tweets.

 

[neroden]

People don't realize how much each tweet or podcast interview is worth. The amount of PR Tesla has gotten out of all this is worth tens or maybe hundreds of millions. This stuff has probably reached more eyeballs to a broader audience than if they'd sponsored ten minutes of Super Bowl ads. Hard to believe it's basically all been done for free with a few taps on a phone from anywhere.

True. At this point, howver, the very best PR for Tesla comes from the same place it's always come from...

...the cars on the road. People still come up to pretty much every parked Tesla and start asking questions about it.

Not a great role model though. If he starts electrocuting elephants like Edison, or the modern day equivalent, then hopefully Tesla and others would move on without him.

 

[djgarrett21]

I think he is trying to torpedo the deal. He seems to have not wanted to settle from the beginning.

Prod the SEC into changing the terms and then he has his out - doesn't have to compromise and gets to fight.

 

[FirebirdAlpha]

An idealist, not a shark.

That's cute. But as CEO and Chairman, he has a fiduciary duty to his investors.

At least when I invest in a company, I want the hungry shark.

 

[neroden]

What are you referring to? I don't see any follow-up tweets.

Jan 2012, I believe. I think he's changed his mind.

 

[Drumheller]

Elon has seen the light: "That said, even though they cause me grief, I would defend the right of shorts to exist. They are often unreasonably maligned."

I guess he has been following this thread.

where did you see that?