Learn how Musk was brought on as a crucial early investor but soon used his clout, money, and even a few strong-arm tactics to oust Eberhard and Tarpenning and eventually install himself as CEO of Tesla
“My initial impression of him was he was quite smart,” Eberhard recalls, “and quite enthusiastic.”
But those feels soon soured after Musk began to exert his authority as board chairman, pressuring Eberhard to fire people, make wildly difficult design fixes to the company’s early lineup of EVs, and then step aside as Musk positioned himself at the forefront of Tesla’s public introduction to the world.
Soon enough, Eberhard was out, and Musk was in. “It felt like a brick on the side of my head,” Eberhard said. “It’s totally unexpected.”
from The Verge’s excellent “Land of the Giants: The Tesla Shock Wave” podcast series
