4 ms·

"..panels leased from Solar City, another company owned by Mr Musk" - just make it up as you go, I guess.

by butwhy 12y ago

josefresco 12y ago
According to Wikipedia, Musk is not only chairman of Solar City but also "remains the largest shareholder" - so the line from the article while lacking detail, is mostly correct.
- jkaunisv1 12y ago
  Well, the article also says that Musk & JB are cofounders of Tesla, so, you know.. Not expecting much accuracy from the rest of it.
  - SuperChihuahua 12y ago
    How do you define a co-founder? Tesla was just an empty shell before Musk and JB arrived, so I think they are co-founders of Tesla, but not the only co-founders.
    - jkaunisv1 12y ago
      I'd say it was more than an empty shell. Eberhard got a lot of the way there developing the product. From what I've read he wasn't the guy to grow the company but he got it through the initial startup. I'd agree with you and say they're all cofounders (as, Wikipedia tells me, they settled out of court to agree on). But I think the media really emphasizes Musk, and in this article Straubel, as the co-founders while eliding Eberhard's contribution (ie. actually STARTING the company with Tarpenning).
skywhopper 12y ago
It's a good risk distribution strategy to split your various investments into separate corporations and then do business deals between the component organizations. But it can also be a profitable tax strategy when there are differing tax implications or accounting rules depending on how deals are structured. The rules surrounding the tax and reporting implications of buying versus leasing are actually one of the current major topics in the US accounting governance world. (My wife teaches Theory of Accounting which goes deep into the frustratingly fascinating details of how to appropriately and clearly represent expenses and earnings for management, investor, and government audiences. It's fascinating stuff, but confusing for an outsider.)
- anonbanker 12y ago
  Posting here as breadcrumbs for when I inevitably need to explain this to someone.

"..panels leased from Solar City, another company owned by Mr Musk" - just make it up as you go, I guess.

by butwhy 12y ago

"..panels leased from Solar City, another company owned by Mr Musk" - just make it up as you go, I guess.

According to Wikipedia, Musk is not only chairman of Solar City but also "remains the largest shareholder" - so the line from the article while lacking detail, is mostly correct.

jkaunisv1 12y ago
Well, the article also says that Musk & JB are cofounders of Tesla, so, you know.. Not expecting much accuracy from the rest of it.
- SuperChihuahua 12y ago
  How do you define a co-founder? Tesla was just an empty shell before Musk and JB arrived, so I think they are co-founders of Tesla, but not the only co-founders.
  - jkaunisv1 12y ago
    I'd say it was more than an empty shell. Eberhard got a lot of the way there developing the product. From what I've read he wasn't the guy to grow the company but he got it through the initial startup. I'd agree with you and say they're all cofounders (as, Wikipedia tells me, they settled out of court to agree on). But I think the media really emphasizes Musk, and in this article Straubel, as the co-founders while eliding Eberhard's contribution (ie. actually STARTING the company with Tarpenning).

skywhopper 12y ago

It's a good risk distribution strategy to split your various investments into separate corporations and then do business deals between the component organizations. But it can also be a profitable tax strategy when there are differing tax implications or accounting rules depending on how deals are structured. The rules surrounding the tax and reporting implications of buying versus leasing are actually one of the current major topics in the US accounting governance world. (My wife teaches Theory of Accounting which goes deep into the frustratingly fascinating details of how to appropriately and clearly represent expenses and earnings for management, investor, and government audiences. It's fascinating stuff, but confusing for an outsider.)

anonbanker 12y ago
Posting here as breadcrumbs for when I inevitably need to explain this to someone.