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I don't think anyone objects to Tesla taking on debt to finance its growth. The thing is that if your debts are falling due and you don't have enough cash to pa
by jacques_chester 8y ago
I don't think anyone objects to Tesla taking on debt to finance its growth. The thing is that if your debts are falling due and you don't have enough cash to pay them, you will need to borrow money, sell shares or renegotiate the debts. Your only other option is bankruptcy.
Elon Musk nailed his colours to the mast earlier in the year by saying Tesla would not take on any new debt in 2018. And issuing shares has gotten a bit less simple since his "taking Tesla private" tweet. Which leaves renegotiation or bankruptcy. It remains to be seen whether creditors will renegotiate to avoid the hassle of bankruptcy and the possibility of significant upside through some kind of debt/equity deal. Or whether they will look at the $10Bn of PPE on the assets side of the balance sheet and say "well we can probably get $5Bn for that in a firesale to Toyota, Ford or GM and come out ahead".