Who should be Tesla's new Chair?

[WierdMobile]

Perhaps my thoughts are colored by my personal experience. A few years ago, I didn't personally know a single person who believed that climate change was even real, much less a problem caused by humans that we needed to do something about (or at least none that were willing to admit it). Within that group, Al Gore was the brunt of many jokes. He was the poster child of why climate change was nonsense. Invoking Al Gore was a sure way to immediately lose any argument. At the (private) high school I attended, we were actually assigned a paper where we were supposed to "debunk global warming." I read An Inconvenient Truth for that paper, and managed to get an A by arguing that since many of the suggestions in the book could save you money by being more efficient, that we might as well do those things even if the rest of the book was a lie. IMHO, these are the people that Tesla has been trying to reach by building cars that are awesome cars first, while also happening to be electric: people that will see Al Gore and immediately be turned off, but might be convinced by other aspects of a Tesla, if they don't think they'd be ridiculed by their peers for buying a car from Al Gore.

Is it fair? No, but that's the world I live in. So that's why I think Al Gore specifically would be a poor choice for Chair. I personally wouldn't mind him being on the board, but think it's just too much for many people to swallow.

 

[neroden]

It's pretty damn sad that people reacted that way. Gore was just reporting on the scientific consensus back in the year 2000. I was in a university town, so I was talking to scientists, who all knew that of course global warming was real and caused by humans.

At the time it seemed like we could address it in a calm, deliberate fashion -- then the people who commit crimes against humanity started really ramping up their propaganda.

Your private high school probably shouldn't have been credentialled as a school. :-( Was it religious?

 

[Ellec]

I think someone high profile and influential,

George Clooney
Larry Page
Barrack Obama

 

[Bobfitz1]

Canadian Urban Transit Research & Innovation Consortium CEO Josipa Petrunic - CBC interview 15 months ago:

Nice call Curt! I get a good Gwen Shotwell vibe from Petrunic. I can imagine Elon developing over time a similar partnership of trust and respect that he has found in Gwen Shotwell to huge benefit for SpaceX (and Elon).

 

[Curt Renz]

Although I nominated Catherine Wood and Josipa Petrunic in this thread for Tesla board chairperson suggestions, those two could also be given consideration as fine candidates to become ordinary board directors.

 

[EVNow]

Having considered what happened today in the market, I think Tesla needs someone with impeccable business and tech credentials. It would also be useful if the person has a few billions to invest, if needed.

Essentially, this would help completely squash talk of accounting fraud or financial trouble. Shorts will look more and more Looney.

Larry Page & Bill Gates fit the bill. Don't know whether they'd be willing.

 

[dqd88]

My hunch is that at least one of the new board members will be either Alan Mulally or Indra Nooyi.

 

[dqd88]

I think someone high profile and influential,

George Clooney
Larry Page
Barrack Obama

Clooney sounds bizarre as a board member choice.

 

[Ellec]

Clooney sounds bizarre as a board member choice.

He created a billion dollar Tequila company. Teslquila

George Clooney sells his tequila company for up to $1bn

 

[dqd88]

He created a billion dollar Tequila company. Teslquila

George Clooney sells his tequila company for up to $1bn

Interesting.
But, I doubt wall street would look well up on this choice. Tesla needs board members who please the street.

 

[EVNow]

I posted this in the Market thread - but belongs here.

I think the chairman needs to
- have market credibility
- have values in line with Tesla's vision

I think the best gets are the below. Any of these will completely wreck shorts. I guess the chances are low, though. May be just getting them on the board itself will be good.

- Bill Gates
- Warren Buffet
- Jeff Bezos
- Tim Cook
- Larry Page
- Reed Hastings

 

[djgarrett21]

This is easy. Larry Ellison.

 

[EVNow]

This is easy. Larry Ellison.

Not the best, but possible. Another possible (but nowhere near the best) is Hoffman (of LinkedIn fame) who was also a PayPal guy.

But I doubt either of these guys will scare the shorts. Ellison, to the extent he can, has already done so by disclosing his stake.

 

[CarlK]

I too think Larry Ellison can be a good choice. He just revealed he's investing in Tesla. He's also a friend of Elon. Bill Gates sounds good too. The two Google founders won't be possible even they are friends with Elon too. There is a conflict of interest because of Waymo. Remember this is a just more or less a figure head position. Elon still got backing of majority of share holders and will be the one who runs the company. Whoever takes the position needs to be in good term with Elon and doing it only to help Elon out through this period.

As for the most often mentioned name Alan Mulally there is zero chance that will happen. Tesla needs a chairman of board not a CEO. Either way there is no need to get a traditional auto person who thinks and does things very differently than the Silicon Valley company. I even think the name was throwing around by detractors who want to imply Tesla is weak in the auto making area. These people do not know the difference between the two. Just look at what Alan Mulally built Ford into when he left there a few years ago. No thanks.

 

[Curt Renz]

I too think Larry Ellison can be a good choice. He just revealed he's investing in Tesla. He's also a friend of Elon. Bill Gates sounds good too. The two Google founders won't be possible even they are friends with Elon too. There is a conflict of interest because of Waymo. Remember this is a just more or less a figure head position. Elon still got backing of majority of share holders and will be the one who runs the company. Whoever takes the position needs to be in good term with Elon and doing it only to help Elon out through this period.

As for the most often mentioned name Alan Mulally there is zero chance that will happen. Tesla needs a chairman of board not a CEO. Either way there is no need to get a traditional auto person who thinks and does things very differently than the Silicon Valley company. I even think the name was throwing around by detractors who want to imply Tesla is weak in the auto making area. These people do not know the difference between the two. Just look at what Alan Mulally built Ford into when he left there a few years ago. No thanks.

Indeed, the directors on a corporate board including the chairperson should be first and foremost the representatives of the shareholders and their interests. They do not need to be experts in managing their company's particular businesses. They hire a CEO and other managers to be those experts. The SEC essentially sees this the same way.

That's why I earlier in this thread nominated Catherine Wood of Ark Invest and Josipa Petrunic of the Canadian Urban Transit Research & Innovation Consortium. They also get points for being women who would make the board even more diverse. However, I would also recommend some men who understand and have interest in Tesla as a stock. For example Ron Baron of the Baron Funds, Gene Munster of Loup Ventures and Ross Gerber of Gerber Kawaski Wealth and Investment Management. Even some of the other stock analysts who have long followed Tesla might be considered.

I am not only suggesting names for chairperson, but also the two other board member positions that will be created.

 

[neroden]

In keeping with Curt Renz's thoughts, I would be a director if asked. Curt would also be a good director.

Directors should be representatives of the shareholders and their interests. They often aren't. Actual individual shareholders are. The people proposed by Curt Renz would be decent choices as well but are mostly fund managers rather than personal stock owners (though I would expect that Catherine Wood and Ron Baron have money in their own funds).

 

[Boomer19]

Canadian Urban Transit Research & Innovation Consortium CEO Josipa Petrunic - CBC interview 15 months ago:

this segment was an excellent find as usual mr renz.

hmm...isn’t it odd how an interview subject like her, high caliber and dishing matter-of-factness responses, never...ever... makes it onto a news (market or otherwise - since everyones on the tesla bashing bandwagon these days) program in mainstream media. one would think that new organizations would seek persons such as ms petrunic to inform their viewership with facts and objective opinion on debatable topics...to the utmost extent...because that’s the core mission of news
...isn’t it?

thanks sir, for that clip!!!

 

[JPWhite]

Musk has removed all titles, and called himself "nobody" at Tesla.

Maybe he simply won't hire a chairman. Having stepped down maybe that's all he has to do to satisfy the settlement.

 

[oneday]

Musk has removed all titles, and called himself "nobody" at Tesla.

Maybe he simply won't hire a chairman. Having stepped down maybe that's all he has to do to satisfy the settlement.

Just for managing the meetings alone, it seems like there is a need for a chairperson. The settlement also specifically says appoint an independent chairperson.

 

[mikevbf]

Mike McAvoy, I have always thought humor might be the best weapon to fight the FUD and even the whole SEC settlement thing. Although, i really did enjoy listening to the no nonsense, cut straight to the real vision and big picture Josipa Petrunic presented in the video Curt Renz shared.