Stormwind

well let's hope that'll never happen for my own sake since I own tesla stock for several years now.

mmarshall

Agreed. I never enjoy seeing anyone lose his or her shirt, but right now, there's a good argument that Tesla stock is overpriced and ready for a fall. If I owned any (which I don't) I'd probably sell it and cash in. Sure, it could go up even more tomorrow before it falls......but it's just too risky for my tastes.

BippuLexus

I second this. I would sell my Tesla stocks pretty soon if I own shares. Tesla is too risky right now to bet on for me.

jrmckinley

Tesla stock up over 4% today on news of big Autopilot update by end of summer, potential "Space X" package in the Roadster, and the potentially real scenario of hitting the model 3 production goals. If model 3 production goals are hit by end of June I'd look for the stock to jump even higher.

BippuLexus

That's usually how Tesla stock trends though. Elon would announce something "amazing" and then stock spikes because of it. I remember when Tesla stock when up because he said production will be met by December 2017 for the Model 3 and it didn't meet.

The "Space X" package on the roadster sounds like a fantasy. Rockets on the side of the car will probably not be street legal.

jrmckinley

True, but if Tesla hits production goals and then can prove that they've created a repeatable and steady mechanism for doing so, it could be a substantial movement upwards in the stock as that continues to be the #1 concern of analysts covering the stock (and potential investors).

LeX2K

It will have flame throwers which are legal.

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

yeah but they also sneakily LIMITED deliveries this quarter so people could still get the tax credit and are apparently stockpiling cars. so if they have a load of cars to deliver next quarter but no tax break will the buyers still be there?

jrmckinley

The tax breaks continue (but diminish) after they sell 200k cars. Here's an excerpt from a WIRED article that explained it. Here's the source article- https://www.wired.com/story/tesla-fe...redit-model-3/

"When the sales clock hits 200,000, the tax credit doesn't make like Cinderella's chariot. Every car Tesla sells for the rest of that quarter, and the following quarter, qualifies its buyer for the full $7,500. For the following six months, the rebate drops by half, to $3,750. For the six months after that, it halves again, to $1,875. Then it goes away altogether. So depending on how many Model 3s Tesla can crank out in the next year, it can ensure at least some of its customers enjoy a bit of federal largesse.If they’re being clever, the automakers will make sure they sell that inauspicious car at just the right time. If Tesla hits the number on June 30, at the end of the second quarter, then buyers of its cars only have until the end of September to secure the full credit. If it makes the sale on July 1, buyers enjoy the $7,500 until the end of the year. No surprise, then, that Tesla forums are full of speculation that Musk is delaying some US sales by inviting Model 3 reservation holders in Canada to go ahead and make their purchase official."

jadu

iTrader: (42)

a rollercoaster today for Tesla stocks as Tesla to layoff 9% of its workforce: https://www.marketwatch.com/story/te...ays-2018-06-12

jrmckinley

Yes, laying off 9% is nothing to sneeze at. The stock is up again today though.

Unrelated to the car biz, they are not renewing their deal with Home Depot for home solar products. I was in Home Depot a few weeks ago and saw a guy in a black Tesla golf shirt giving a presentation to a few customers - thought it was interesting and didn't know they had stationed dedicated employees there.

Stormwind

that's why elon is a genius, when they hit the tax credit limit that is when he will sell the 35k model 3 and at that price point many people won't care about rebates anymore.

jrmckinley

I'm not sure I understand your logic. I'd argue the lower price point could use the tax credit more than a higher price point and help be the catalyst for the model 3 to really succeed. I'd also think that Tesla would want to leverage the tax credit to increase the selling price on the car by adding things of high margin (SOFTWARE!!). If someone is cool with spending $35k on a car, why not sell them $7,500 or even $10k in software (offset mostly/completely by the tax credit) when your software is likely at 90+ percent margin..? Are people in the $35k budget ballpark likely to add up to $10k in cost if there's no tax benefit? I'd argue they're less likely than someone looking at a Model S or Model X.

Finally, hitting the tax credit limit still allows the $7,500 to be applied (for 2 quarters I believe) and then it drops to $3,750 for a while longer, and then to $1,875 for a while after that. So the tax credit won't completely disappear for quite some time once they hit the 200k car mark.

mmarshall

Seems like everything Elon Musk touches lately goes to pot. Now he's involved in a legal mess with one of his own employees.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-switch/wp/2018/06/21/saboteur-or-whistleblower-battle-between-elon-musk-and-former-tesla-employee-turns-ugly-exposing-internal-rancor/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.6d6d1fcb8fff&wpisrc=al_technology__alert-economy--alert-tech&wpmk=1
The SwitchSaboteur or whistleblower? Battle between Elon Musk and former Tesla employee turns ugly, exposing internal rancor

By Drew HarwellJune 21 at 12:30 PMdrew.harwell@washpost.com?subject=Reader%20feedback%20for%20'Saboteur%20or%20whistleblower?%20Battle%20between%20Elon%20Musk%20and%20former%20Tesla%20employee%20turns%20ugly,%20exposing%20internal%20rancor' 1:11
Elon Musk alleges employee 'sabotage' as Tesla suesTesla is suing a former employee for allegedly stealing secrets by hacking Tesla's computer systems. CEO Elon Musk believes the work to be internal sabotage. (Reuters)

Hours after Tesla sued its former employee on charges he had stolen company secrets, and days after chief Elon Musk had called him a saboteur, the Silicon Valley automaker made a startling claim. The company had received a call from a friend of the employee, Martin Tripp, saying he would be coming to Tesla's Gigafactory battery plant in Nevada to “shoot the place up,” according to a Tesla spokesman.

But Tripp, who says he became a whistleblower after seeing what he called dangerous conditions in the company's car batteries, told The Washington Post he had said no such thing. Emails exchanged that day between him and Musk, provided to The Post and confirmed by Tesla, show bitter words from both men but also Tripp saying he had “never made a threat.” Tesla's claims, he said, are “absurd! Insane is a better word.”

The sheriff's office in Storey County, where the Gigafactory is located, said Thursday that it had received information of a threat to security at the Gigafactory on Wednesday but determined “after several hours of investigation ... there was no credible threat.” Sheriff Gerald Antinoro said that names of all involved parties will be withheld while the investigation is ongoing. Tesla said it is increasing security at the Gigafactory as a precaution.

The showdown has exposed deep rancor at a tech giant famous for its head-turning cars, high-pressure workloads — and Musk, its unyielding boss. It also marks a new depth of suspicions from Musk, who recently sent companywide emails urging workers to stay vigilant against shadowy “outside forces,” saying, “Only the paranoid survive.”

[[url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-switch/wp/2018/06/20/tesla-sues-former-employee-as-elon-musk-signals-hunt-for-saboteurs/?utm_term=.a4dc0493b732]Former employee sued by Tesla says he was a whistleblower, alarmed by company practices and Elon Musk]

It's rare for any major company, let alone one worth roughly $60 billion, to allow its internal warfare to play out in such a public way. It's even rarer for a billionaire leader like Musk — currently leading efforts to build self-driving cars, underground super-tunnels and advanced spacecraft — to serve as a soldier in the charge.

But the emails show Musk duking it out with Tripp, calling him a “horrible human being” who should be “ashamed” of himself and face “legal penalties.”


Emails between Elon Musk and Martin Tripp on June 20.Tesla's lawsuit, filed Wednesday in a Nevada federal court, accuses Tripp of hacking the company's computer systems in order to steal confidential photos and video of Tesla's manufacturing systems and other trade secrets. The suit also accuses him of giving false information to journalists, being “disruptive and combative” in the workplace and attempting to rope other co-workers into his scheme.

Tesla lawyers said Tripp, who worked at the Gigafactory as a technician from October to last week, was disgruntled over a lost promotion. But Tripp said he tampered with no systems and shared information with the media only after seeing things that alarmed him within the company, including what he says were dangerously punctured batteries used in Tesla's latest Model 3 sedans. Tripp said he has documents to support his claims, some of which, he said, were cited in a Business Insider news report.

Tesla rebutted Tripp's claims to being a whistleblower and said his claims are exaggerated or misconstrued. The company said no punctured batteries were ever used in Model 3 vehicles and that Musk accurately reported the cars' production numbers.

The Post could find no criminal charges against Tripp. In 2007, he was the victim in a domestic incident in Michigan.

Tripp said he was visited by sheriff's deputies Wednesday night about the threat allegations. He is seeking an attorney and official whistleblower protections. He said he and his family have temporarily vacated their home after their address was posted online.

RXSF

I dont see Elon being in the wrong here....

The rumors aside, I think he has the right to defend himself and the company he built.