Investor's Corner
Tesla’s (TSLA) Elon Musk is currently the auto industry’s most tenured CEO
Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) might easily be considered as a young, upstart electric car maker, but the company is actually being led by the car industry’s most tenured CEO today. In what could only be described as a twist of fate and a stroke of irony, Elon Musk has become the longest-serving CEO in today’s auto segment, having taken Tesla’s chief executive seat back in 2008.
Musk emerged as the car industry’s longest-serving CEO in May, when then-Daimler CEO Dieter Zetsche, who had been serving as the German automaker’s chief executive since 2006, announced his retirement after 13 years on the job. And Zetsche was not the only one. The Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi alliance also saw notable turnovers in the group’s CEO positions this year.
Back in January, Renault attracted headlines following veteran CEO Carlos Ghosn’s resignation over his alleged connection with a high-profile financial scandal. Last month, Mitsubishi, which maintains a notable presence in markets such as Southeast Asia, also announced the departure of its CEO, Osamu Masuko, who has been leading the company for the last five years. Even South Korean automaker Hyundai, which produces the practical and well-received Kona EV, saw some turnover in its executive positions earlier this year, with Chung Eui-sun being dubbed as co-CEO with Lee Won-hee, who also took over the chief executive post this year.
Following is a list of car company CEOs as well as their tenure as chief executive of their respective companies (H/T to Benzinga).
- Tesla: Elon Musk in 2008
- Toyota: Akio Toyoda, 2009
- General Motors (GM): Mary Barra, 2014
- Peugeot: Carlos Tavares, 2014
- Honda: Takahiro Hachigo, 2015
- BMW: Harald Krüger, 2015 (though he has recently confirmed that he will be stepping down as BMW’s CEO)
- Ford: Jim Hackett, 2017
- Nissan: Hiroto Saikawa, 2017
- Mazda: Akira Marumoto, 2018
- Volkswagen: Herbert Diess, 2018
- Fiat Chrysler: Michael Manley, 2018
- Suzuki: Toshihiro Suzuki, 2018
- Daimler: Ola Kaellenius, 2019
- Renault: Thierry Bolloré, 2019
- Mitsubishi: Takao Kato, 2019
Tesla gets a bad reputation at times for allegedly being a car company that cannot retain talent. Yet, together with Elon Musk, several of the electric car maker’s key executives have been with Tesla for long periods of time. Among these are CTO JB Straubel and Chief Designer Franz von Holzhausen, as well as President of Automotive Jerome Guillen, who joined Tesla back in 2010, before the first Model S rolled off the line. Other executives that recently rose through the ranks, such as CFO Zach Kirkhorn, have also been with the company since the days of the original Tesla Roadster.
It is evident from Tesla’s growing pains that Elon Musk is still learning the ropes as the company’s chief executive. This became evident during Tesla’s Model 3 production ramp, a “bet the company” strategy that Musk describes as one of the most arduous points in his career. These experiences ultimately give Musk a certain advantage over his fellow CEOs in the auto market, as it allows him to have a clear vision of Tesla’s strengths and weaknesses. This, in turn, enables him to roll out strategies that benefit the company in the long-term. An excellent example of this is Gigafactory 1 in Nevada, a substantial investment that was once deemed a folly by critics, but is turning out to be an act of remarkable foresight today.
Musk is recognized for being a disruptive visionary, and he really is. Nevertheless, it should be noted that the Tesla and SpaceX CEO also deserves some credit for being a leader that sticks with a company through every up and down. Part of this is likely due to the fact that he sincerely fights for Tesla and its mission of accelerating the advent of sustainable energy. Ultimately, this could very well be a big difference-maker for Tesla’s chances of survival and potential success.
Investor's Corner
Ron Baron states Tesla and SpaceX are lifetime investments
Baron, one of Tesla’s longest-standing bulls, reiterated that his personal stake in the company remains fully intact even as volatility pressures the broader market.
Billionaire investor Ron Baron says he isn’t touching a single share of his personal Tesla holdings despite the recent selloff in the tech sector. Baron, one of Tesla’s longest-standing bulls, reiterated that his personal stake in the company remains fully intact even as volatility pressures the broader market.
Baron doubles down on Tesla
Speaking on CNBC’s Squawk Box, Baron stated that he is largely unfazed by the market downturn, describing his approach during the selloff as simply “looking” for opportunities. He emphasized that Tesla remains the centerpiece of his long-term strategy, recalling that although Baron Funds once sold 30% of its Tesla position due to client pressure, he personally refused to trim any of his personal holdings.
“We sold 30% for clients. I did not sell personally a single share,” he said. Baron’s exposure highlighted this stance, stating that roughly 40% of his personal net worth is invested in Tesla alone. The legendary investor stated that he has already made about $8 billion from Tesla from an investment of $400 million when he started, and believes that figure could rise fivefold over the next decade as the company scales its technology, manufacturing, and autonomy roadmap.
A lifelong investment
Baron’s commitment extends beyond Tesla. He stated that he also holds about 25% of his personal wealth in SpaceX and another 35% in Baron mutual funds, creating a highly concentrated portfolio built around Elon Musk–led companies. During the interview, Baron revisited a decades-old promise he made to his fund’s board when he sought approval to invest in publicly traded companies.
“I told the board, ‘If you let me invest a certain amount of money, then I will promise that I won’t sell any of my stock. I will be the last person out of the stock,’” he said. “I will not sell a single share of my shares until my clients sold 100% of their shares. … And I don’t expect to sell in my lifetime Tesla or SpaceX.”
Watch Ron Baron’s CNBC interview below.
@teslarati :rotating_light: This is why you need to use off-peak rates at Tesla Superchargers! #tesla #evcharging #fyp ♬ Blue Moon – Muspace Lofi
Elon Musk
‘You chose ambition’: Tesla Chair hails shareholders for backing Elon Musk’s vision
Denholm stated that the vote highlighted TSLA investors’ continued confidence in both Musk’s leadership and Tesla’s vision for an autonomous, AI-driven future.
Tesla Chair Robyn Denholm has issued a letter to shareholders celebrating what she described as “overwhelming support” at this year’s Annual Meeting, framing the approval of Elon Musk’s trillion-dollar pay plan as a defining moment in Tesla’s mission.
Denholm stated that the vote highlighted TSLA investors’ continued confidence in both Musk’s leadership and Tesla’s vision for an autonomous, AI-driven future.
Denholm hails shareholder confidence
In her letter, which was posted by the electric vehicle maker on X through Tesla’s official handle, Denholm thanked investors for backing Proposals One, Three, and Four, items she said reaffirm Tesla’s “Master Plan Part IV” and its broader mission to accelerate sustainable prosperity. She characterized the shareholder vote as “a vote of confidence in our visionary leader, Elon,” crediting Musk with transforming Tesla into one of the most valuable companies in history.
“In a year when many tried to sow doubt and negativity, you chose a better future,” Denholm wrote. “You chose ambition. You chose to see what is possible. You chose to back the people who have been in the room since the earliest days, fighting for the mission that first brought us all together—a better world for humanity,” she wrote in her letter.
Her comments framed Musk’s pay package approval not only as a governance milestone but as a symbolic endorsement of Tesla’s long-term trajectory across autonomy, AI, and energy innovation.
“A whole new book” of innovation
Denholm highlighted Tesla’s push toward autonomy as the company’s next major growth phase, citing the Robotaxi program and Optimus humanoid robot as examples of bringing artificial intelligence “into the physical world.” She described this period as potentially “the largest value-creation event in Tesla’s history, and quite possibly in the history of humanity.”
The letter reaffirmed the board’s commitment to direct engagement with shareholders through Tesla’s online platform and live events. Denholm emphasized that feedback from investors “informs our strategy and strengthens us” as Tesla prepares for new technology rollouts and expanded AI capabilities.
“You, our shareholders, have given us the mandate and the runway to execute. We are humbled, and rest assured that we do not take that responsibility lightly… Thank you for believing in Tesla. Thank you for standing with us. We look forward to years of bold leadership and pioneering innovation, fueled by our commitment to creating a better future for all,” she wrote.
Elon Musk
Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey endorses Elon Musk Tesla pay package
Dorsey framed the pay package as an engineering and governance crossroads for Tesla.
Twitter co-founder and Square CEO Jack Dorsey has publicly backed Elon Musk’s leadership ahead of Tesla’s pivotal shareholder vote, which is expected to be decided later today at the company’s 2025 annual meeting.
Dorsey framed the pay package as an engineering and governance crossroads for Tesla.
Dorsey’s public nod framed as an engineering defense of Musk
In a post on X, Dorsey weighed in on Tesla’s post about being in a “critical inflection point.” As per the Twitter-co-founder, the vote on Musk’s 2025 performance award is not about compensation. Instead, it’s about ensuring the path for the company’s engineering in the coming years.
“This is not about compensation. it’s about ensuring a principled (and exciting!) engineering approach to the company’s future,” Dorsey wrote on his post, later stating that users of Cash app with TSLA shares would be able to vote for the CEO’s proposed 2025 performance award.
Elon Musk appreciated Dorsey’s endorsement, responding to the Twitter co-founder’s post with a heart emoji. Musk has been pretty thankful for the support for is fellow tech executives, also thanking Michael Dell recently, who also advocated for its proposed 2025 performance award.
Musk’s support
While Elon Musk’s 2025 performance award has received opposition from proxy advisors such as Glass Lewis and ISS, it has received quite a lot of support from longtime bulls such as ARK Invest, and, more recently, Schwab Asset Management following calls from TSLA retail shareholders.
“Schwab Asset Management’s approach to voting on proxy matters is thorough and deliberate. We utilize a structured process that focuses on protecting and promoting shareholder value. We apply our own internal guidelines and do not rely on recommendations from Glass Lewis or ISS. In accordance with this process, Schwab Asset Management intends to vote in favor of the 2025 CEO performance award proposal. We firmly believe that supporting this proposal aligns both management and shareholder interests, ensuring the best outcome for all parties involved,” Charles Schwab told Teslarati.
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