How to Trade Micron Technology (MU)

Martin Eberhard and Marc Tarpenning founded Tesla Motors on July 1, 2003 in San Carlos. The inspiration came after GM recalled and destroyed all EV1 vehicles that same year. Elon Musk led a $7.5M Series A in February 2004, became chairman, and later claimed himself as a co-founder.

The Tesla Roadster entered production in 2008 as the first highway-legal EV using lithium-ion batteries. Priced at $109,000, it had a 245-mile range and could go 0–60 mph in 3.7 seconds. Musk became CEO that year, replacing Eberhard. Tesla nearly went bankrupt during the financial crisis and required emergency funding.

Tesla went public on June 29, 2010 on NASDAQ at $17 per share, raising $226 million. It became the first US car company to IPO since Ford Motor Company in 1956. At the time, Tesla only produced the Roadster and was not seen as a serious competitor to major automakers.

Model S launched in 2012 and won Car of the Year, followed by Model X in 2015 and Model 3 in 2017—a mass-market EV that Musk described as 'production hell.' Tesla faced heavy short selling from skeptics who believed the company would fail before proving them wrong.

2020 was a breakout year for TSLA, with the stock rising over 700%. This was driven by five consecutive profitable quarters, the launch of Gigafactory Shanghai, Battery Day announcements, and strong retail investor demand during the pandemic. Tesla joined the S&P 500 in December 2020, forcing index funds to buy the stock.