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U.S. Senator urges Tesla board to investigate Musk’s conflicts of interest
U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren has written a letter to Tesla’s Board of Directors encouraging them to investigate Elon Musk for conflicts of interest between his many companies.
The letter, which was made public on Thursday, alleges that Musk has an ongoing conflict of interest between Tesla, xAI and his other companies, adding that he has not been “addressing his competing priorities.” The letter also highlights a time in June when Tesla had around 12,000 Nvidia chips initially destined for the publicly-traded Tesla redirected to the privately-owned X for storage,
“I write to you with ongoing concern that Tesla’s Board of Directors appears to be failing to meet
its fiduciary duties to Tesla’s shareholders by neglecting to address company CEO Elon Musk’s
apparent conflicts of interest,” Warren writes.
“Mr. Musk has long juggled various enterprises in addition to Tesla, as he leads several private companies, including SpaceX, Neuralink, The Boring Company,2 and X Corp. However, recent reporting indicates that Mr. Musk may not be adequately addressing his competing priorities.”
In addition to discussing the redirection of Tesla’s Nvidia chips to the X headquarters, Warren discusses the very founding of xAI as an “unavoidable conflict of interest” for Musk, especially given his touting of Tesla as an AI company. Warren also argues that Tesla’s board has neglected its duties surrounding corporate governance, and has instituted a culture that’s lacking in oversight of the company, much to the dismay of shareholders.
You can read Warren’s full letter to the Tesla Board of Directors below.
Senator Elizabeth Warren… by zacharydvisconti
Some Tesla shareholders have also signed onto a letter responding to Warren, as spearheaded by Alexandra Merz. The letter claims that Warren’s actions were “politically motivated,” pointing to the upcoming presidential election.
📜 Sen Warren
Only 24h and already 1,742 signers of the letter to Senator Warren. You are amazing.
If someone from MA knows a journalist there, let me know.
To sign:
-> https://t.co/vjJS5w26sg or
-> https://t.co/eWCX59xzJFWill print out on Wednesday and mail to her. https://t.co/8Y5Ate91nG
— Ale𝕏andra Merz 🇺🇲 (@TeslaBoomerMama) August 11, 2024
This is far from the first time that Warren and Musk have sparred online, and it comes as just one of many letters the U.S. Senator has penned over the years regarding Tesla.
In March, Warren wrote a letter to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) encouraging the regulatory body to investigate the Tesla Board of Directors and the company as a whole, due to allegations that the Board failed to manage Elon Musk’s actions as the leader of both X and Tesla.
The letter echoed another letter written by Warren in 2023, in which the U.S. Senator said that the Board had a “lack of independence” from the CEO, once again calling on the SEC to investigate securities fraud.
In 2022, Warren also penned another letter to the Board claiming that Musk had “abandoned his post” at Tesla in order to complete his purchase of what was then Twitter.
Tesla’s Elon Musk promptly flattens US Senator Warren’s claim that he doesn’t pay taxes
What are your thoughts? Let me know at zach@teslarati.com, find me on X at @zacharyvisconti, or send us tips at tips@teslarati.com.
News
Tesla Cybercab is changing the look of Austin’s roads, and it’s not even in production yet
Videos and photos showed the sleek, two-seat autonomous vehicles navigating traffic.
Even before entering production, Tesla’s Cybercab is already transforming the appearance of Austin’s streets, with multiple prototypes spotted testing in downtown areas recently.
Videos and photos showed the sleek, two-seat autonomous vehicles navigating traffic. Interestingly enough, the vehicles were equipped with temporary steering wheels and human safety drivers.
Recent Cybercab sightings
Over the weekend, enthusiasts captured footage of two Cybercabs driving together in central Austin, their futuristic silhouettes standing out amid regular traffic. While the vehicles featured temporary steering wheels and side mirrors for now, they retained their futuristic, production-intent exterior design.
Industry watcher Sawyer Merritt shared one of the vehicles’ videos, noting the increasing frequency of the autonomous two-seater’s sightings.
Previewing the autonomous future
Sightings of the Cybercab have been ramping in several key areas across the United States in recent weeks. Sightings include units at Apple’s Visitor Center in California, the Fremont factory test track, and in Austin’s streets.
The increased activity suggests that Tesla is in overdrive, validating the autonomous two-seater ahead of its planned volume production. Elon Musk confirmed at the 2025 Shareholder Meeting that manufacturing begins around April 2026 with ambitious targets, and during an All-Hands meeting earlier this year, Musk hinted that ultimately, Tesla’s factories should be able to produce one Cybercab every 10 seconds.
News
Tesla celebrates 9 million vehicles produced globally
The achievement, announced by Tesla Asia on X, celebrated not just the Shanghai team’s output but the company’s cumulative production across all its factories worldwide.
Tesla has achieved a new milestone, rolling out its nine millionth vehicle worldwide from Giga Shanghai.
The achievement, announced by Tesla Asia on X, celebrated not just the Shanghai team’s output but the company’s cumulative production across all its factories worldwide. The milestone came as 2025 drew to a close, and it inspired praise from some of the company’s key executives.
Tesla’s 9 million vehicle milestone
The commemorative photo from Tesla Asia featured the Giga Shanghai team assembled on the factory floor, surrounding the milestone Model Y unit, which looked pristine in white. The image was captioned: “Our 9 millionth vehicle globally has just rolled off the production line at Giga Shanghai. Thanks to our owners and supporters around the world.”
Senior Vice President of Automotive Tom Zhu praised Tesla’s factory teams for the remarkable milestone. He also shared his gratitude to Tesla owners for their support. “Congrats to all Tesla factories for this amazing milestone! Thanks to our owners for your continued support!” Zhu wrote in a post on X.
Giga Shanghai’s legacy
Tesla’s nine million vehicle milestone is especially impressive considering that just 207 days ago, the company announced that it had built its eight millionth car globally. The eight millionth Tesla, a red Model Y, was built in Giga Berlin. The fact that Tesla was able to build a million cars in less than seven months is quite an accomplishment.
Giga Shanghai, Tesla’s largest factory by volume, has been instrumental to the company’s overall operations, having reached four million cumulative vehicles earlier in 2025. The plant produces Model 3 and Model Y for both domestic Chinese and export markets, making it the company’s primary vehicle export hub.
News
Tesla officially publishes Q4 2025 vehicle delivery consensus
By releasing these numbers directly, Tesla establishes a clear, transparent benchmark ahead of its actual results.
Tesla has taken the rather unusual step of officially publishing its company-compiled Q4 2025 delivery consensus on the Investor Relations site. As per analyst estimates, Tesla is expected to deliver 422,850 vehicles and deploy 13.4 GWh of battery storage systems this Q4 2025.
By releasing these numbers directly, Tesla establishes a clear, transparent benchmark ahead of its actual results, making it harder for narratives to claim a “miss” based on outlier estimates.
Official consensus sets the record straight
Tesla’s IR press release detailed the consensus from 20 analysts for vehicle deliveries and 16 analysts for energy deployments. As per the release, full-year 2025 consensus delivery estimates come in at 1,640,752 vehicles, an 8.3% decline from 2025’s FY deliveries of 1,789,226 cars.
Tesla noted that while it “does not endorse any information, recommendations or conclusions made by the analysts,” its press release does provide a notable reference point. Analysts contributing to the company compiled consensus include Daiwa, DB, Wedbush, Oppenheimer, Canaccord, Baird, Wolfe, Exane, Goldman Sachs, RBC, Evercore ISI, Barclays, Wells Fargo, Morgan Stanley, UBS, Jefferies, Needham, HSBC, Cantor Fitzgerald, and William Blair.
Tesla’s busy Q4 2025
Tesla seems to be pushing hard to deliver as many vehicles as possible before the end of 2025, despite the company’s future seemingly being determined not by vehicle deliveries, but FSD and Optimus’ rollout and ramp. Still, reports from countries such as China are optimistic, with posts on social media hinting that Tesla’s delivery centers in the country are appearing packed as the final weeks of 2025 unfold.
The Tesla Model Y and Model 3 are also still performing well in China’s premium EV segment. Based on data from January to November, the Model Y took China’s number one spot in the RMB 200,000-RMB 300,000 segment for electric vehicles, selling 359,463 units. The Model 3 sedan took third place, selling 172,392. This is quite impressive considering that both the Model Y and Model 3 command a premium compared to their domestic rivals.
Tesla Cybercab is changing the look of Austin’s roads, and it’s not even in production yet
Tesla celebrates 9 million vehicles produced globally
