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Who Wears Short Shorts: David Einhorn’s Ghost Hunt for Tesla’s Weakness

Credit: Twitter | David Einhorn

Published

5 years ago

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Death, Taxes, and David Einhorn complaining about Tesla being successful.

Those are the three certainties in life. And like clockwork, after Tesla announced yet another successful quarter in the books yesterday during its Q1 2020 Earnings Call, Einhorn was right there trying to accuse Elon Musk or Zachary Kirkhorn of fraudulent behavior. But, let’s face it, a guy who lost 21.5% for his clients in Q1 2020 has to cast stones at someone, and it might as well be someone who is doing well, right?

I know those first two tidbits of information sound harsh; they are honestly supposed to. But I will admit, I wasn’t always an Einhorn skeptic. In my spare time, I’m a poker player, and Einhorn is too, and he’s a successful one. And it is hard for a poker player not to like him, considering all of his winnings get donated to charity. With over $5.2 million in live cashes, a majority of that coming from a massive cash at the $1 million buy-in One Drop tournament at the World Series of Poker. That’s a lot of money to a good cause.

So I admit, David Einhorn is not all that bad of a guy. But he continues to play the villain in Tesla’s successful string of quarters, continually accusing the company and its executives of not playing by the rules. But hey, to each his own.

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Every single time Tesla has a successful quarter, Einhorn seems to be stalking the company’s Update Letter like a tiger waiting for its prey. However, tigers usually are successful when they see potential food, and Einhorn just continues to sit there and look more like the prey at this point.

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On the 30th of April, Einhorn tweeted another note toward Elon, asking him to justify Tesla’s accounts receivable. “Tesla’s claim for why there are so many for a product where the customers pay upfront, was that sales are crazily concentrated in the last days of the month–so much so that it matters if the month ends on a weekend. This quarter ended on a Tuesday,” he wrote.

Einhorn continues to come off like an obsessed ex-girlfriend, always worried about what Elon puts online, and makes extended digs toward the CEO of Tesla and his employees. But I guess what do you have to say for yourself when the stock you notoriously short continues to rise and your investors continue to lose money on your behalf.

Is it not all possible that Tesla experienced minimal financial loss even though Fremont was shut down for about a month at the tail end of the quarter? Is it at all possible that the most successful Q1 in company history had something to do with the fact that Tesla’s production rates are higher than they were a quarter ago? That another factory in the biggest auto market in the world is also churning out electric vehicles and selling them at higher numbers than any other vehicle in the market? That the same exact factory in that auto market is producing a car that had a 450% increase in registrations from February to March, despite the entire car industry falling?

This, to me, looks like Einhorn is using a typical case of what is called confirmation bias. He accused Tesla, in his brief note on Twitter, of fudging the numbers. But the problem is, the information is readily available out there on basically any site that covers electric vehicles.

Let me break it down for you this way, Einhorn. I’ll even use poker terms! Tesla is experiencing an upswing in China, and the rest of the market is experiencing a downswing. Every other company is managing to lose money because nobody is buying their cars, even though production is continuing. Tesla is making money because they continue to sell the Model 3 in astoundingly high numbers.

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Not only has Tesla made the Model 3 one of the most appealing cars in all of China, but they’re beginning to offer different variants. Before it was just the SR+, now there’s a Long Range and a Performance variant. Tesla even announced that the white interior is available for the Model 3 now, which could be a big deal for some.

Tesla’s Q2 might be a little bit rougher than Q1, especially if Fremont’s shut down continues until June, as reports have suggested. Perhaps Einhorn should have just taken Q1 on the chin, gotten rid of his “TSLAQ” title, and left the likes of other short sellers Jim Chanos in his rearview mirror. After all, David, it is not too late to get your hands on some beautiful TSLA stock. I hear its lovely to own some!

Part of me hopes that one day, Einhorn heads out to Silicon Valley, meets up with Elon for lunch and a tour, and switches sides, all in those short shorts that Musk sent him a few months back. After all, Tesla is fighting for the future of our planet, and short selling the stock is primarily environmental terrorism considering the company’s goal is to keep the Earth going.

Maybe one day, I’ll get to sit across from Einhorn at a poker table. If I do, I promise to ask him when he’s going to stop shorting TSLA and begin to believe the Master Plan. But if I don’t, I surely won’t lose sleep over it.

After all, I won’t be the one wearing vintage short shorts.

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Credit: Twitter

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Joey has been a journalist covering electric mobility at TESLARATI since August 2019. In his spare time, Joey is playing golf, watching MMA, or cheering on any of his favorite sports teams, including the Baltimore Ravens and Orioles, Miami Heat, Washington Capitals, and Penn State Nittany Lions. You can get in touch with joey at joey@teslarati.com. He is also on X @KlenderJoey. If you're looking for great Tesla accessories, check out shop.teslarati.com

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Lifestyle

Elon Musk seemingly confirms Cybertruck gift to 13-year-old cancer fighter

Diagnosed in 2018 with a rare form of brain and spine cancer with no cure, the teen has undergone 13 surgeries by the time he was 12.

Published

2 months ago

on

March 6, 2025

By

Credit: Tesla

Elon Musk has seemingly confirmed that he will be sending a Tesla Cybertruck to 13-year-old Devarjaye “DJ” Daniel, a 13-year-old Houston boy fighting brain cancer. The teen was recognized as an honorary Secret Service member by U.S. President Donald Trump during his address to Congress on Tuesday. 

A Chance Meeting

The Tesla CEO’s Cybertruck pledge was mentioned during DJ’s short interview with CNN’s Kaitlan Collins. When Collins asked the 13-year-old what he told the Tesla CEO, DJ answered that he asked for a Cybertruck.

“I said, ‘can you do me a big favor, when you get back to Houston can you send us a Cybertruck down there?’” the cancer fighter stated.

Daniel noted that Musk responded positively to his request, which was highlighted by Collins in a post on X. Musk responded to the post with a heart emoji, suggesting that he really will be sending a Cybertruck to the 13-year-old cancer fighter.

Teen’s Cancer Battle Inspires

Diagnosed in 2018 with a rare form of brain and spine cancer with no cure, Daniel has undergone 13 surgeries by the time he was 12. During his speech, Trump highlighted the 13-year-old’s long battle with his disease. 

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“Joining us in the gallery tonight is a young man who truly loves our police. The doctors gave him five months at most to live. That was more than six years ago. Since that time, DJ and his dad have been on a quest to make his dream come true,” Trump stated.

Daniels officially received an honorary badge from U.S. Secret Service Director Sean Curran, to much applause during the event.

Surprisingly Partisan

While Daniels’ story has been inspiring, Trump’s focus on the 13-year-old cancer fighter has received its own fair share of criticism. MSNBC host Nicolle Wallace, while referencing Daniels’ love for law enforcement, noted that she is hoping the 13-year-old never has to defend the U.S. capitol against Trump supporters. “If he does, I hope he isn’t one of the six who loses his life to suicide,” Wallace stated.

Anti-Musk and Trump accounts on X have also thrown jokes at the cancer fighter’s honorary badge, with some dubbing the 13-year-old as a “DEI hire” that should be looked into by DOGE.

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Tesla owner highlights underrated benefit of FSD Supervised

Published

3 months ago

on

January 31, 2025

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Credit: Tesla

Elon Musk has been pretty open about the idea of FSD being the difference maker for Tesla’s future.

If Tesla succeeds in achieving FSD, it could become the world’s most valuable company. If it doesn’t, then the company would not be able to reach its optimum potential.

FSD Supervised’s safety benefits:

  • But even if FSD is still not perfect today, FSD Supervised is already making a difference on the roads today.
  • This was highlighted in Tesla’s Q4 2024 Vehicle Safety Report.
  • As per Tesla, it recorded one crash for every 5.94 million miles driven in which drivers were using Autopilot technology.
  • For comparison, the most recent data available from the NHTSA and FHWA (from 2023) showed that there was one automobile crash every 702,000 miles in the United States. 

FSD user’s tale:

  • As per an FSD user’s post on social media platform X, FSD Supervised was able to help him drive a relative to a medical facility safely even if he was exhausted.
  • During the trip, the driver only had to monitor FSD Supervised’s performance to make sure the Tesla operated safely.
  • In a vehicle without FSD, such a trip with an exhausted driver would have been quite dangerous. 
  • “This morning, Tesla FSD proved to be an absolute godsend. I had to take my brother-in-law to the hospital in Sugar Land, TX, which is 40 miles away, at the ungodly hour of 4 AM. Both of us were exhausted, and he was understandably anxious about the surgery.
  • “The convenience of sending the hospital’s address directly from my iPhone to my Tesla while still inside my house, then just a single button press once inside, and 40 miles later we were precisely in front of the hospital’s admissions area.This experience really underscores just how transformative this technology can be for society,” Tesla owner JC Christopher noted in his post.

Don’t hesitate to contact us with news tips. Just send a message to simon@teslarati.com to give us a heads up.

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Lifestyle

Tesla Optimus “stars” in incredible fanmade action short film

Published

3 months ago

on

January 14, 2025

By

Credit: @SoKrispyMedia/YouTube

There are few things that prove an enthusiast’s love towards a company more than a dedicated short film. This was highlighted recently when YouTube’s SoKrispyMedia posted a 10-minute action movie starring Optimus, Tesla’s humanoid robot, as well as several of the company’s most iconic products. 

The video: 

  • Shot like a Hollywood action flick, the video featured a rather humorous plot involving a group of thieves that mistakenly targeted a Tesla Model 3 driver. 
  • The Model 3 driver then ended up speaking to Tesla for assistance, and some high-octane and high-speed hijinks ensued.
  • While the short film featured several Tesla products like the Model 3, Superchargers, and the Cybertruck, it is Optimus that truly stole the show.
  • Optimus served several roles in the short film, from an assistant in a Tesla office to a “robocop” enforcer that helped out the Model 3 driver.

Cool inside jokes: 

  • The best Tesla videos are those that show an in-depth knowledge of the company, and SoKrispyMedia definitely had it. 
  • From the opening scenes alone, the video immediately poked fun at TSLA traders, the large number of gray Tesla owners, and the fact that many still do not understand Superchargers.
  • The video even poked fun at Tesla’s software updates, as well as how some Tesla drivers use Autopilot or other features without reading the fine print in the company’s release notes.
  • The video ended with a tour de force of references to Elon Musk products, from the Tesla Cybertruck to the Boring Company Not-a-Flamethrower, which was released back in 2018.

Check out SoKrispyMedia’s Tesla action short film in the video below.

Don’t hesitate to contact us with news tips. Just send a message to simon@teslarati.com to give us a heads up.

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