
The Making of Tesla: Invention, Betrayal, and the Birth of the Roadster (2014) - carlsborg
http://uk.businessinsider.com/tesla-the-origin-story-2014-10
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carlsborg
Summary:

\- A company called "AC Propulsion" built a zippy electric sports car called
the tzero on top of a kit car.

\- The original Tesla Motor founders (Eberhard and Tarpenning) invested in
that and then decided to start their own electric sports car company. They
built the prototype on top of a British Lotus Elise.

\- AC Propulsion pitches Musk, he turns them down. Tesla pitched Musk, he
invests $7.5MM and became chairman of the board. The executive summary of the
original Tesla business plan, shown in the article, pitches a profitable
electric sports car called the Roadster.

\- The co-founder of Ideo puts the vision to a design. ("OK, let's consider
this axis, from retro to futuristic," Moggridge said..."Here's another axis,
masculine to feminine"...)

\- Musk leads the Series A, B, and co-leads the C ($55m of personal funds) and
reviews/steers the product design.

\- Complications in getting the product out delay the release of the Roadster
from feb 2006 to 2008.

\- Eberhard floats the idea of bringing in a new CEO, to sort out company's
financial picture and ERP software. They pitch the board to get in a new CEO
so Eberhard can focus on the Sedan.

\- Musk has a board meeting without Eberhard and replaces him with another
CEO. Eberhard is off everything but troubleshooting and tending to peripheral
issues. Suits and countersuits are filed. They settle.

\- Two CEO's later, in 2008 Musk takes over as CEO and fires a quarter of
Teslas employees. In 2014 they unveil the model D. "Three settings: normal,
sport, and insane."

