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X Takeover adds Jared Isaacman as keynote speaker

Credit: X Takeover

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The upcoming X Takeover, formerly the Tesla Takeover, has added another keynote speaker to its lineup after it announced an appearance from Tesla’s design lead earlier this week.

Tesla Chief Designer Franz von Holzhausen was announced as a keynote speaker for the upcoming X Takeover event on Monday, and Tesla Owners Silicon Valley has now revealed that entrepreneur and Polaris Program head Jared Isaacman will join von Holzhausen as a keynote speaker. Taking place on July 27 and 28 at The Madonna Inn fields in San Luis Obispo, California, the event starts at $40 for an early bird day pass on the registration page, with that price available until April 30.

The focus of Isaacman’s keynote speech at the X Takeover will be “From Entrepreneurship to the Cosmos: A Journey of Inspiration,” along with von Holzhausen’s keynote speech on “Shaping the Future of Automotive Innovation.”

Isaacman funded and led the first private spaceflight sending civilians into orbit, dubbed the Inspiration4 mission, as part of the ongoing Polaris Program, and he is also CEO of the company Shift4 Payments. The launch also went on to get its own Netflix documentary, for which you can watch the trailer below.

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The announcement also comes as the takeover event, which began as a Tesla enthusiast event in 2021, has re-branded for the upcoming year to include more than just Tesla. Instead, as highlighted by the addition of Isaacman to the keynote lineup, the event is being opened to all enthusiasts of Tesla and SpaceX, as well as Elon Musk’s other companies and other electric vehicle (EV) companies.

In addition to the many exhibitioners expected to be at the event—there were over 60 last year and more are planned this year—a portion of ticket purchases are being donated to the charitable organizations 17 Strong and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. St Jude was also a benefactor of Isaacman’s Inspiration4 launch, and at the time, Musk himself had even donated $50 million to the cause.

The X Takeover event is set to include the following, as detailed on the registration site:

  • Inspirational Keynotes
  • Influencer Meet & Greet
  • Cybertruck Showcase
  • Tesla Pro Tips Workshop
  • Scenic Central Coast Ride & Drive
  • Tesla Synchronized Light Show
  • Engaging Panel Discussions
  • E-Mobility Demo Rides
  • Customized Tesla Showcase
  • Unique Collection of Exhibitors and Merchandise
  • Networking Opportunities
  • Professional Detailing
  • Accessories Installations

Last year, Elon’s mother, Maye Musk, was the keynote speaker, while industry manufacturing expert Sandy Munro was featured as the keynote speaker the year before. The event had around 2,000 attendees in 2023, and organizers are expecting as many as 2,000 to 3,000 for this year’s.

Tesla Owners Silicon Valley also notes that space for the event will be limited, so those hoping to attend should register as soon as possible.

New record for largest Tesla light show clinched by owners in Finland

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What are your thoughts? Let me know at zach@teslarati.com, find me on X at @zacharyvisconti, or send your tips to us at tips@teslarati.com.

Zach is a renewable energy reporter who has been covering electric vehicles since 2020. He grew up in Fremont, California, and he currently lives in Colorado. His work has appeared in the Chicago Tribune, KRON4 San Francisco, FOX31 Denver, InsideEVs, CleanTechnica, and many other publications. When he isn't covering Tesla or other EV companies, you can find him writing and performing music, drinking a good cup of coffee, or hanging out with his cats, Banks and Freddie. Reach out at zach@teslarati.com, find him on X at @zacharyvisconti, or send us tips at tips@teslarati.com.

Investor's Corner

Two Tesla bulls share differing insights on Elon Musk, the Board, and politics

Two noted Tesla bulls have shared differing views on the recent activities of CEO Elon Musk and the company’s leadership.

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Credit: Tesla

Two noted Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) bulls have shared differing views on the recent activities of CEO Elon Musk and the company’s leadership.

While Wedbush analyst Dan Ives called on Tesla’s board to take concrete steps to ensure Musk remains focused on the EV maker, longtime Tesla supporter Cathie Wood of Ark Invest reaffirmed her confidence in the CEO and the company’s leadership.

Ives warns of distraction risk amid crucial growth phase

In a recent note, Ives stated that Tesla is at a critical point in its history, as the company is transitioning from an EV maker towards an entity that is more focused on autonomous driving and robotics. He then noted that the Board of Directors should “act now” and establish formal boundaries around Musk’s political activities, which could be a headwind on TSLA stock. 

Ives laid out a three-point plan that he believes could ensure that the electric vehicle maker is led with proper leadership until the end of the decade. First off, the analyst noted that a new “incentive-driven pay package for Musk as CEO that increases his ownership of Tesla up to ~25% voting power” is necessary. He also stated that the Board should establish clear guidelines for how much time Musk must devote to Tesla operations in order to receive his compensation, and a dedicated oversight committee must be formed to monitor the CEO’s political activities.

Ives, however, highlighted that Tesla should move forward with Musk at its helm. “We urge the Board to act now and move the Tesla story forward with Musk as CEO,” he wrote, reiterating its Outperform rating on Tesla stock and $500 per share price target.

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Tesla CEO Elon Musk has responded to Ives’ suggestions with a brief comment on X. “Shut up, Dan,” Musk wrote.

Cathie Wood reiterates trust in Musk and Tesla board

Meanwhile, Ark Investment Management founder Cathie Wood expressed little concern over Musk’s latest controversies. In an interview with Bloomberg Television, Wood said, “We do trust the board and the board’s instincts here and we stay out of politics.” She also noted that Ark has navigated Musk-related headlines since it first invested in Tesla.

Wood also pointed to Musk’s recent move to oversee Tesla’s sales operations in the U.S. and Europe as evidence of his renewed focus in the electric vehicle maker. “When he puts his mind on something, he usually gets the job done,” she said. “So I think he’s much less distracted now than he was, let’s say, in the White House 24/7,” she said.

TSLA stock is down roughly 25% year-to-date but has gained about 19% over the past 12 months, as noted in a StocksTwits report.

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Tesla China achieves this year’s second highest domestic sales in June

The figure represents Tesla’s second-best performance in 2025 so far.

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Domestic sales for Tesla China reached 61,484 units in June, marking a sharp recovery from recent months and positioning the company for a stronger finish to the second quarter. The figure represents Tesla’s second-best performance in 2025 so far, trailing only March, when the company delivered 74,127 vehicles domestically.

A strong comeback for Tesla China

According to data from the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA), Tesla sold a total of 71,599 cars wholesale in June 2025. This means that Tesla’s domestic sales last month rose 59.3% compared to May’s 38,588 units and increased 3.75% year-over-year from 59,261 units in June 2024, as noted in a CNEV Post report. 

The rebound ends a two-month streak of year-over-year declines and helped lift Tesla’s Q2 retail total in China to 128,803 units, though that still marks an 11.7% drop from the same period last year. For context, Tesla China sold 263,410 vehicles domestically, down 5.36% year-over-year, in the first six months of 2025.

Tesla’s stronger domestic showing in June came as the company scaled back its export output from Giga Shanghai. The factory exported 10,115 vehicles last month, down 56.2% from May and 13.9% from a year earlier. For the first half of 2025, Tesla China’s total exports reached 101,064 units, down 31.85% compared to the same period in 2024.

Tesla China’s 2025 performance

June saw continued growth across China’s broader new energy vehicle (NEV) market, with retail sales reaching 1.11 million units, up 29.7% year-over-year. Battery electric vehicles (BEVs) accounted for 661,000 of those sales. Tesla’s NEV market share for June was then 5.53%, down from 6.92% a year earlier but an improvement over May’s 3.78%.

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The Model Y continues to be Tesla China’s primary driver of sales, with the vehicle’s wholesale figures reaching 51,253 units in June, up 16.6% from a year ago and nearly 30% from May. Wholesale numbers for the Model Y totaled 214,034 units in the first six months of the year. The Model 3, in comparison, saw wholesale volumes reach 150,440 units in the first six months of the year.

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Elon Musk

Elon Musk confirms Grok 4 launch on July 9 with livestream event

The rollout will be accompanied by a livestream at 8 p.m. Pacific Time.

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Credit: xAI/X

Elon Musk has officially confirmed that Grok 4, the latest version of xAI’s large language model, will launch on July 9. The rollout will be accompanied by a livestream at 8 p.m. Pacific Time, hosted on xAI’s official account on X.

xAI goes straight to Grok 4

Back in May, leaks indicated that xAI was getting ready to ship Grok 3.5. Considering Musk’s recent comments, however, it appears that the artificial intelligence startup would be focusing on the large language model’s fourth iteration instead. As noted in a Financial Express report, users on X have sighted references to Grok 4 in the lead up to the update’s launch, such as “grok-4-prod-mimic” and “Grok 4 Code.”

Musk’s Grok 4 announcement comes as AI competition intensifies between major players including OpenAI, Google, and xAI. With Musk’s Colossus supercomputer fully operational in Memphis, xAI appears to be accelerating its AI product roadmap.

Musk pushes Grok toward political neutrality

Grok 4’s launch also follows a recent controversy involving political bias, as noted in a CNN report. Last week, Grok responded to a user on X stating that political violence in the U.S. since 2016 had come more from the political right than the left. The chatbot noted in a later reply that its answer was based on information from sources like Reuters, the Journal of Democracy, and University of Maryland studies. 

Musk stated that Grok’s response was a “major fail.” “Major fail, as this is objectively false. Grok is parroting legacy media. Working on it,” he wrote in a post on X. By the end of June, Musk noted that he was “grinding all night with the xAI team” and that they were making “good progress.” He also stated that the model “Will be called Grok 4. Release just after July 4th. Needs one more big run for a specialized coding model.”

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