Investor's Corner
Tesla (TSLA) 2019 Annual Shareholder Meeting: Live blog
Tesla’s (NASDAQ:TSLA) 2019 annual shareholder meeting comes at a rather historic time for the electric car maker. The past year has proven to be a roller coaster of sorts for Tesla’s investors, with TSLA stock rising as high as $387.46 per share and falling to as low as $176.99 per share. At the center of these wild swings is the Tesla Model 3, which is currently in its international rollout.
The past month was a challenging time for Tesla’s investors. Following the company’s lower-than-expected delivery and production figures in the first quarter, Tesla was hit by a perfect storm that included multiple negative analyst forecasts, pessimistic narratives from the media, and allegations that the demand for the company’s vehicles is waning. These concerns have largely been dispelled in recent weeks, as signs have emerged that Tesla, and particularly the Model 3, might be poised to pleasantly surprise this second quarter.
For the annual shareholder meeting, Elon Musk and Tesla’s executives are expected to address questions from retail investors that could range from the company’s current projects such as the Model 3 ramp to its future endeavors such as the Tesla Pickup Truck. Questions aggregated by investor communication platform Say also point to inquiries about Tesla’s rationale behind the Maxwell acquisition, as well as the company’s plans for its insurance service, among others.
Related articles:
- Tesla pickup truck will have better performance than a Porsche 911, says Elon Musk
- Tesla to host Investor Battery and Drivetrain Day in Q3 2019
- Tesla Model Y joins stunning red Roadster at annual shareholder meeting
The following are live updates from Tesla’s 2019 annual shareholder meeting. Fellow Teslarati reporter Dacia Ferris and I will be updating this article in real-time, so please keep refreshing the page to view the latest updates on this story.
Dacia 16:15 PT: That’s a wrap! We need a post-Elon presentation meme team. Who’s game? 😉
Simon 16:15 PT: And that’s the 2019 Annual Shareholder Meeting! Elon, JB, and Drew get a standing ovation from the audience. How often does that happen in a shareholder meeting?
Dacia 16:14 PT: Will Tesla build an aquatic car? a shareholder asks. “It’s funny you mention that…,” Elon begins, citing a submarine car design he has. “I think the market for this will be small.”
Dacia 16:12 PT: Elon debates the merits and deficiencies of advertising and educational campaigns…would it draw more attention to issues than is merited? He likes the idea of film challenges.
Simon 16:10 PT: On a question about advertising, Elon notes that such strategies are not necessary right now, especially since Tesla sells all the cars that it can produce. Elon also expresses his reservations about advertising, particularly the level of trickery that goes with it. “We could have advertising for information to refute the misinformation,” Elon says.
Simon 16:09 PT: Responding to a question from PETA about leather being used for the steering wheels of Tesla’s electric cars, Elon notes that the Model Y, and the Model 3 will be vegan.
Simon 16:06 PT: Elon, JB, the board, and the company get a vote of support for Tesla from an investor in India. Elon raises his fist in a show of appreciation. Epic.
Dacia 16:05 PT: “What do you ask a team that has put a Roadster in freaking space?” a shareholder and fan of Elon exclaims in lieu of a question. He also laments Nikola Tesla’s lack of funding to pursue his experiments.
Dacia 15:59 PT: “I love horses,” Elon clarifies, ducking on a question about the specific Tesla truck towing capacity. “If the F-150 can tow it, the Tesla truck can do it.”
Simon 15:58 PT: Elon also recognizes the shift of other companies to renewable transportation. This relates to carmakers such as Porsche, which as abandoned diesel in favor of electric and electrified vehicles.
Dacia 15:57 PT: Awww… JB and Elon are reminiscing about the veeery early days of the company. Elon reminds us that he totally thought they’d fail. (10% chance of success)
Simon 15:54 PT: JB notes that while electric cars are prevalent now, there is still a lot of work to be done. “We can’t pat ourselves in the back yet,” JB notes.
Dacia 15:52 PT: “Incredibly, there have been a lot of negative articles (about Tesla) in Bloomberg,” Elon observes in response to a shareholder’s concern about the myths and disinformation spread about Tesla. Elon seems to consider a mythbusting site to battle all the negativity.
Simon 15:51 PT: A shareholder suggests connecting with media titans to curb the negative narrative and misinformation surrounding Tesla. Elon takes this point very well.
Dacia 15:49 PT: “Customer testimony and referrals are the key to our sales,” Elon says about the company’s success.
Dacia 15:48 PT: “If it was possible to have a 6th star, we’d have a 6th star,” Elon touts Tesla’s super high safety ratings. Huzzah!
Simon 15:47 PT: Shareholder question on what Tesla plans to do with the misinformation surrounding the company. Elon notes that the misconceptions are distressing, but even if Tesla provides explanations to mainstream media, these get buried in articles. Musk admits that he is at a little bit of a loss when it comes to changing the negative narrative about the company. Elon, Drew, and JB thank shareholders for being Tesla’s line of defense against the misinformation campaign.
Dacia 15:46 PT: On Tesla fires…Elon points out how rare Tesla incidents are, especially compared to gasoline-powered cars. “Internal…combustion…engine…it’s in the name,” he jokes. “Would you rather have a gasoline powered phone or a battery powered phone?” He also points out how ridiculous the disinformation campaign has been about Tesla fires.
Dacia 15:40 PT: Shareholder question on China’s EV growth – 500,000 units per year from Gigafactory 3 seems a little low? Why was the target set at that? Elon says he thinks that long-term G3 will do more, that’s more of an interim goal. He sees more factories in other parts of China.
Dacia 15:32 PT: “This might make sense…we will probably do something like this,” Elon agrees that a mobile ride sharing service should be make available prior to the Tesla Network/robo taxi release.
Simon 15:32 PT: Supervised “Robotaxis” are a go, says Elon.
Simon 15:30 PT: As for Starlink tech being used for Tesla’s electric cars, Elon states that the company will need to design an updated antenna for the vehicles. Musk also notes that Starlink is not really for high-density areas as much. Instead, it’s designed to provide connectivity to the poorly served areas of the globe.
Dacia 15:28 PT: Elon says the Starlink antennae will be about the size of a small pizza. Like, are we talking Brooklyn style? What about pepperoni?
Simon 15:26 PT: Tesla insurance is coming soon, after a “small acquisition” is completed. Some software also needs to be written for the service.
Dacia 15:26 PT: “I’m often too optimistic about time frames,” Elon admits, referring to a submitted question about Enhanced Summon. It was predicted to be coming ‘soon’ a few times already. “There’s a lot of complexity in parking lots, turns out.”
Simon 15:23 PT: As for Maxwell tech, Elon says Tesla will save that for a “battery and powertrain investor day.” Sign us up!
Dacia 15:24 PT: “We’re not sitting idly by…we’re making all the moves to be the masters of our own destinies,” Drew adds to the battery/scaling challenges.
Dacia 15:23 PT: “We might get into the mining busines…maybe a little bit,” Elon teases, referring to battery scaling – Tesla’s biggest challenge right now. “Battery cells and full self-driving. Those are the two things that are most important,” Elon summarizes.
Simon 15:20 PT: Elon discusses Tesla’s “Cyberpunk” pickup truck. He notes that it is arguably the coolest vehicle he has seen so far. Seems like it is certain at this point that the Tesla Truck will not look like a conventional pickup.
Dacia 15:19 PT: “We’re removing a lot of repair in house,” Elon details, also citing service requests via the Tesla app.
Dacia 15:18 PT: “When you buy a car, you’re buying freedom. Freedom to travel,” Elon remarks, referring to all the inputs that go into Tesla ownership.
Simon 15:15 PT: Elon discusses the expansion of the Supercharger V3 network. “Superchargers and Service Centers are the key to sales,” says Elon, also mentioning Tesla’s financing offers.
Dacia 15:13 PT: It’s all love for this Tesla leadership crew… nevermind Drew wasn’t introduced for a bit there. 🙂
Simon 15:11 PT: Can’t help but notice how relaxed Elon is today. Same thing with JB. They do, if any, exude confidence in today’s meeting.
Simon 15:08 PT: Elon shares the idea of having a Gigafactory on every continent. He also notes that the Solar Roof is now on “version 3.”
Dacia 15:08 PT: Version 3 of the Solar Roof…Elon predicts cost being equal to a shingle roof plus electric utility bill. Cheaper roof, better economics… Elon has “banged the table” over making this happen. “It can be done!” Drew chimes in.
Dacia 15:07 PT: Musk jokes that Gigafactory 3 needs air traffic control due to all the drones flying over and taking update pics. (we are guilty of indulging)
Simon 15:05 PT: JB and Elon express their thanks to everyone who helped create Gigafactory 1.
Dacia 15:04 PT: Elon explains why Powerpoint presentations still win. 5 slides = Funding for Gigafactories to make more batteries than what’s in the world combined.
Simon 15:03 PT: Well look who we have here. JB Straubel’s in the house. There goes another bear thesis, I guess. JB also discusses the conceptualization and creation of Gigafactory 1.
Simon 15:02 PT: Model Y could have a lower drag coefficient than the Model 3. That is pretty darn impressive.
Simon 15:01 PT: “Clearly we’re headed towards electrification. Clearly, we’re heading towards autonomy,” Musk said, highlighting how Tesla’s vehicles are preferable purchases over gas cars.
Dacia 15:00 PT: Buying any car besides a Tesla is like…”riding a horse and using a flip phone,” Elon says. Um, OK. Let’s roll with that visual. Memes…..go!
Dacia 14:58 PT: I can’t decide whether to refer to him as “Elon” or “Musk”…it really depends on what he says, no? Fart App = Elon, Tesla Network = Musk. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Simon 14:58 PT: Musk reiterates his point about Tesla’s full self-driving technology. “It’s just mad to buy a fossil fuel car at this point,” he says.
Dacia 14:56 PT: Musk speaks to all the factors lowering the cost of ownership of a Tesla over gas-powered competitors. Also…it’s designed to have the most fun with gems like the fart app. (er, he means emissions testing)
Simon 14:55 PT: Elon also highlights the cheaper maintenance costs of electric cars. It’s kinda like an Accord, he says, only better. It also has “gems” like the Fart App, “which is my personal favorite,” Elon added.
Dacia 14:53 PT: “No electric car has exceeded the range that we came out with on the first Model S in 2012,” Musk says smiling…still struggling not to tease competitors.
Simon 14:53 PT: Elon also notes that there is no “demand problem.” There goes the death throes of that bear thesis.
Dacia 14:52 PT: “E-tron…there’s room for improvement,” Musk says. He also is trying(?) not to pick on the brand who’s had some troubles lately.
Simon 14:51 PT: Elon touts Tesla’s lead in efficiency. “I don’t want to pick on the (Audi) e-tron, but…” The audience, of course, gets it.
Dacia 14:50 PT: “It’s remarkable that an electric car is the highest revenue car in the country,” Elon touts, and rightly so.
Simon 14:49 PT: Elon states that while the past year has been challenging, there are a lot of good news about Tesla. Starting off, the “Model 3 is outselling all of its competitors in the US,” says Elon Musk. He also thanks the hard work of the Tesla team.
Simon 14:48 PT: Elon Musk takes the stage.
Dacia 14:46 PT: I’m allll about the fun part!
Simon 14:40 PT: And now the votation starts. For background on this, please refer to our article on the agenda for today’s meeting.
Dacia 14:37 PT: “You need to have a certain amount of intestinal fortitude as an investor…and you have that in spades,” Denholm says. That’s for darn sure.
Simon 14:35 PT: Tesla Chair Robyn Denholm takes the stage to address investors in her welcoming remarks. Teases Elon’s upcoming presentation.
Dacia 14:33 PT: Selfie time FTW!
Dacia 14:31 PT: Where’s the music video? Totally bumming.
Simon 14:30 PT: Should be starting anytime now.
Simon 14:24 PT: Now all we need to know is if the red Model Y is separate from the blue one. Pretty cool if Tesla has two working prototypes right now.
Dacia 14:20 PT: Twitterverse is saying that red Model Y is a functioning prototype. (h/t Ryan McCaffrey)
Simon 14:13 PT: It’s full house (courtesy of Tesla owner-investor Dennis Pascual). Just a bit over 15 minutes before it’s set to begin.
Simon 14:10 PT: Kinda wondering if that red Y is just a wrapped version of the blue prototype from the unveiling. Sure looks like a working model imo. But that OEM chrome delete though.
Simon 14:09 PT: Some sweet cars outside the meeting’s venue. Red Model Y is fire.
Dacia 14:05 PT: Woo! Tesla live blog time again! Red cars at the shareholder meeting for passion…or panic?? (dun dun dun! just pre-empting the FUD)
Investor's Corner
Tesla (TSLA) Q4 and FY 2025 earnings call: The most important points
Executives, including CEO Elon Musk, discussed how the company is positioning itself for growth across vehicles, energy, AI, and robotics despite near-term pressures from tariffs, pricing, and macro conditions.
Tesla’s (NASDAQ:TSLA) Q4 and FY 2025 earnings call highlighted improving margins, record energy performance, expanding autonomy efforts, and a sharp acceleration in AI and robotics investments.
Executives, including CEO Elon Musk, discussed how the company is positioning itself for growth across vehicles, energy, AI, and robotics despite near-term pressures from tariffs, pricing, and macro conditions.
Key takeaways
Tesla reported sequential improvement in automotive gross margins excluding regulatory credits, rising from 15.4% to 17.9%, supported by favorable regional mix effects despite a 16% decline in deliveries. Total gross margin exceeded 20.1%, the highest level in more than two years, even with lower fixed-cost absorption and tariff impacts.
The energy business delivered standout results, with revenue reaching nearly $12.8 billion, up 26.6% year over year. Energy gross profit hit a new quarterly record, driven by strong global demand and high deployments of MegaPack and Powerwall across all regions, as noted in a report from The Motley Fool.
Tesla also stated that paid Full Self-Driving customers have climbed to nearly 1.1 million worldwide, with about 70% having purchased FSD outright. The company has now fully transitioned FSD to a subscription-based sales model, which should create a short-term margin headwind for automotive results.
Free cash flow totaled $1.4 billion for the quarter. Operating expenses rose by $500 million sequentially as well.
Production shifts, robotics, and AI investment
Musk further confirmed that Model S and Model X production is expected to wind down next quarter, and plans are underway to convert Fremont’s S/X line into an Optimus robot factory with a capacity of one million units.
Tesla’s Robotaxi fleet has surpassed 500 vehicles, operating across the Bay Area and Austin, with Musk noting a rapid monthly expansion pace. He also reiterated that CyberCab production is expected to begin in April, following a slow initial S-curve ramp before scaling beyond other vehicle programs.
Looking ahead, Tesla expects its capital expenditures to exceed $20 billion next year, thanks to the company’s operations across its six factories, the expansion of its fleet expansion, and the ramp of its AI compute. Additional investments in AI chips, compute infrastructure, and future in-house semiconductor manufacturing were discussed but are not included in the company’s current CapEx guidance.
More importantly, Tesla ended the year with a larger backlog than in recent years. This is supported by record deliveries in smaller international markets and stronger demand across APAC and EMEA. Energy backlog remains strong globally as well, though Tesla cautioned that margin pressure could emerge from competition, policy uncertainty, and tariffs.
Investor's Corner
LIVE BLOG: Tesla (TSLA) Q4 and FY 2025 earnings call
Tesla’s (NASDAQ:TSLA) earnings call follows the release of the company’s Q4 and full-year 2025 update letter.
Tesla’s (NASDAQ:TSLA) earnings call follows the release of the company’s Q4 and full-year 2025 update letter, which was published on Tesla’s Investor Relations website after markets closed on January 28, 2025.
The results cap a quarter in which Tesla produced more than 434,000 vehicles, delivered over 418,000 vehicles, and deployed 14.2 GWh of energy storage products. For the full year, Tesla produced 1.65 million vehicles and delivered 1.63 million, while total energy storage deployments reached 46.7 GWh.
Tesla’s Q4 and FY 2025 Results
According to Tesla’s Q4 and FY 2025 Update Letter, the company posted GAAP earnings per share of $0.24 and non-GAAP EPS of $0.50 in the fourth quarter. Total revenue for Q4 came in at $24.901 billion, while GAAP net income was reported at $840 million.
For full-year 2025, Tesla reported GAAP EPS of $1.08 and non-GAAP EPS of $1.66 per share. Total revenue reached $94.83 billion, including $69.53 billion from automotive operations and $12.78 billion from the company’s energy generation and storage business. GAAP net income for the year totaled $3.79 billion.
Earnings call updates
The following are live updates from Tesla’s Q4 and FY 2025 earnings call. I will be updating this article in real time, so please keep refreshing the page to view the latest updates on this story.
16:25 CT – Good day to everyone, and welcome to another Tesla earnings call live blog. There’s a lot to unpack from Tesla’s Q4 and FY 2025 update letter, so I’m pretty sure this earnings call will be quite interesting.
16:30 CT – The Q4 and FY 2025 earnings call officially starts. IR exec Travis Axelrod opens the call. Elon and other executives are present.
16:30 CT – Elon makes his opening statement and explains why Tesla changed its mission to “Amazing Abundance.” “With the continued growth of AI and robotics, I think we’re headed towards a future of universal high income,” Musk said, adding that along the way, Tesla will still be improving its products while keeping the environment safe and healthy.
16:34 CT – Elon noted that the first steps for this future are happening this year, thanks to Tesla’s autonomy and robotics programs, which will be launching and ramping this year. He also highlighted that Tesla will be making major investments this year, though the company will be very strategic when it comes to its funding. “I think it makes a ton of strategic sense,” Musk said.
16:36 CT – Elon also announces the end of the Model S and Model X programs “with an honorable discharge.” If you’re interested in buying a Model S or X, it’s best to do it now, Musk said. The Model S and Model X factory in Fremont will be replaced by an Optimus line. “It’s slightly sad, but it is time to bring the S and X program to an end. It’s part of our overall shift to an autonomous future,” Musk said.
16:38 CT – Elon discusses how Unsupervised FSD is now starting for the Robotaxi service. He noted that these Unsupervised Robotaxis don’t have any chase cars as of yesterday. He reiterated Tesla’s plans for owners to be able to add their own vehicles to the Robotaxi fleet. Autonomy target for the end of the year is about a quarter or half of the United States, Musk said.
16:41 CT – Elon noted that the Tesla Energy team is absolutely killing it. He also stated that Tesla expects its Energy business to continue growing, and that the “solar opportunity is underrated.”
16:43 CT –Elon also added that Tesla Optimus 3 will be unveiled in about three months, probably. The Model S and Model X line in Fremont will be a million-unit Optimus production line. Looks like Optimus is really coming out of the gate with large, meaningful volumes. “The normal S curve for manufacturing ramps is longer for Optimus,” Musk stated. “Long term, I think Optimus will have a significant impact on the US GDP.”
16:44 CT – Elon closes his opening statements with a sincere thanks to the Tesla team. He also noted that he feels fortunate to be able to work alongside such a talented workforce.
Elon ends his opening remarks with an optimistic prediction about the future.“The future is more exciting than you can imagine,” he concluded.
16:47 CT – Tesla CFO Vaibhav Taneja makes his opening remarks. He discusses several aspects of Tesla’s Q4 milestones. He noted that Tesla Energy achieved yet another gross profit record during the fourth quarter. There’s insane demand for the Megapack and Powerwall. Backlogs for these products are healthy this 2026. He also noted that Tesla ended 2025 with a bigger vehicle order backlog compared to recent years.
16:53 CT – Investor questions from Say begin. The first question is about Tesla’s expectations for the Robotaxi Network. Lars Moravy noted that it has the advantage of manufacturing and scale, and Tesla believes that the Robotaxi Network will significantly grow year over year. Elon highlighted that the Cybercab will be produced with no steering wheel or pedals. No fallback. Elon also noted that Tesla expects to produce more Cybercabs than all its other vehicles combined in the future.
16:51 CT – The next question is if Tesla still expects to launch new models, such as affordable cars. Lars Moravy noted that Tesla did release affordable variants last year, and Tesla is still pushing hard to lower its costs. That being said, Tesla is really pushing the Cybercab as its total addressable market is larger than consumer-owned cars. Lars also mentioned that Tesla will produce different vehicles for its Robotaxi services.
16:56 CT – Elon noted that eventually, Tesla will produce mostly autonomous cars. The exception would be the next-generation Roadster, which will be a true driver’s car.
17:03 CT – A question about Elon’s past comments about a potential next pickup truck was asked. Lars noted that the Cybertruck is still performing well in the electric pickup truck segment, though Tesla is known for flexibility. Elon added that Tesla will be transitioning the Cybertruck line to a fully autonomous vehicle line. He also stated that the Cybertruck is a useful vehicle. “An autonomous Cybertruck will be useful for that.”
17:10 CT – A question was asked about when FSD will be 100% Unsupervised. Elon noted that 100% Unsupervised FSD is already being used today, though only in the Austin Robotaxi program. Tesla is still being extremely careful with its rollout.
When asked about Tesla’s chip program, Elon noted that he feels pretty good about Tesla’s chip strategy. But in terms of selling Tesla’s chips outside Tesla, the company has to make sure it has enough chips for Optimus robots, data centers, and other programs first.
17:18 CT – Analyst questions begin. First up is Wolf Research. He asks about Tesla’s increasing Capex, specifically where the majority of it is going. The Tesla CFO noted that programs in six factories are going live this year, so that consumes Capex. The Optimus program also consumes a lot of resources. The growth of Tesla’s current capacity is also consuming a lot of resources. As for how these programs will be funded, the CFO pointed to Tesla’s massive war chest, as well as initiatives such as the Robotaxi Network.
17:21 CT – Morgan Stanley asks about Tesla’s xAI investment. The analyst asked about more information about how Tesla and xAI will work together. The CFO noted that this investment is part of Master Plan Part IV. Elon also mentioned some advantages for xAI’s technology for Tesla’s products, like Grok being used to manage a Robotaxi fleet or a group of Optimus robots.
17:24 CT – Barclays asks Elon about the constraints on memory. Does Tesla have any near term constraints for Tesla vehicles’ memory? Elon responded that the Tesla AI computer is already very compute and memory-efficient. The intelligence per gigabyte is important. Musk noted that Tesla is ahead of the industry by an order of magnitude or more.
17:29 CT – Cannacord asks about startups from China entering the humanoid market. What competitive advantage does Optimus have compared to these rivals? Elon stated that he believes China will be a key competitor in the humanoid robot market. China will be the toughest competitor for Tesla. That being said, Elon noted that Tesla believes Optimus will be ahead in real-world intelligence, electromechanical dexterity, and hand design.
Investor's Corner
Tesla (TSLA) Q4 and FY 2025 earnings results
Tesla’s Q4 and FY 2025 earnings come on the heels of a quarter where the company produced over 434,000 vehicles, delivered over 418,000 vehicles, and deployed 14.2 GWh of energy storage products.
Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) has released its Q4 and FY 2025 earnings results in an update letter. The document was posted on the electric vehicle maker’s official Investor Relations website after markets closed today, January 28, 2025.
Tesla’s Q4 and FY 2025 earnings come on the heels of a quarter where the company produced over 434,000 vehicles, delivered over 418,000 vehicles, and deployed 14.2 GWh of energy storage products.
For the Full Year 2025, Tesla produced 1,654,667 and delivered 1,636,129 vehicles. The company also deployed a total of 46.7 GWh worth of energy storage products.
Tesla’s Q4 and FY 2025 results
As could be seen in Tesla’s Q4 and FY 2025 Update Letter, the company posted GAAP EPS of $0.24 and non-GAAP EPS of $0.50 per share in the fourth quarter. Tesla also posted total revenues of $24.901 billion. GAAP net income is also listed at $840 million in Q4.
Analyst consensus for Q4 has Tesla earnings per share falling 38% to $0.45 with revenue declining 4% to $24.74 billion, as per estimates from FactSet. In comparison, the consensus compiled by Tesla last week forecasted $0.44 per share on sales totaling $24.49 billion.
For FY 2025, Tesla posted GAAP EPS of $1.08 and non-GAAP EPS of $1.66 per share. Tesla also posted total revenues of $94.827 billion, which include $69.526 billion from automotive and $12.771 billion from the battery storage business. GAAP net income is also listed at $3.794 billion in FY 2025.
xAI Investment
Tesla entered an agreement to invest approximately $2 billion to acquire Series E preferred shares in Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence startup, xAI, as part of the company’s recently disclosed financing round. Tesla said the investment was made on market terms consistent with those agreed to by other participants in the round.
The investment aligns with Tesla’s strategy under Master Plan Part IV, which centers on bringing artificial intelligence into the physical world through products and services. While Tesla focuses on real-world AI applications, xAI is developing digital AI platforms, including its Grok large language model.
Below is Tesla’s Q4 and FY 2025 update letter.
TSLA-Q4-2025-Update by Simon Alvarez