Tesla was incorporated in 2003 by Martin Eberhard and Marc Tarpenning, with Elon Musk joining as chairman and lead investor in 2004. Musk became CEO in 2008 and has led the company since. Tesla’s mission is to accelerate the world’s transition to sustainable energy.
The company’s first car, the Roadster (2008), proved that electric vehicles could be desirable. The Model S sedan (2012) established Tesla as a serious automaker. The Model 3 (2017) brought Tesla to the mass market — it became the best-selling electric car in the world and one of the best-selling cars of any type.
Tesla’s lineup now includes Model S, Model 3, Model X, Model Y, Cybertruck, and Semi. The Model Y has been the world’s best-selling car (not just EV) in recent years. Tesla delivered over 1.8 million vehicles in 2023.
Beyond cars, Tesla manufactures energy storage systems (Powerwall for homes, Megapack for utilities), solar panels, and charging infrastructure (Supercharger network with 50,000+ stations globally). The Supercharger standard (NACS) has been adopted by virtually every other automaker in North America.
Tesla’s market cap has exceeded $1 trillion at times, making it the most valuable automaker by far — worth more than most traditional automakers combined. Annual revenue exceeded $96 billion in 2023.
Headquartered in Austin, Texas (relocated from Palo Alto in 2021), Tesla employs over 140,000 people. Gigafactories in Nevada, Shanghai, Berlin, and Texas produce vehicles and batteries. Tesla’s Autopilot and Full Self-Driving (FSD) features remain controversial but represent a massive bet on autonomous driving technology.
