Thread by @PlainSite

New: In response to a prior PRA request, CAEATFA *also* forgot to delete $TSLA's projected delivery numbers as of December 2017. They're consistent with the 2019 figures. And we know exactly who worked on them. plainsite.org/documents/1ew8…

The metadata from the 2019 files indicates that they were authored by Blue Sky Consulting Group. The metadata from the late 2017 spreadsheets (obtained in 2018) indicates that they were authored by Joel Schwartz—presumably, the one who works at Blue Sky. blueskyconsultinggroup.com/joel-schwartz/

This raises a number of questions about $TSLA's relationship with Blue Sky, how Mr. Schwartz arrived at these numbers, and exactly what it means that Tesla Finance Director Danielle Matsumoto "owned" or "owns" them. Ownership suggests responsibility.

With a resume like this one, it would be difficult for Ms. Matsumoto to argue that she had no idea how these numbers might impact Tesla's stock price. After all, prior to her years of work at Tesla, at Goldman Sachs $GS, she specialized in "establishing views on valuation."

And it would also be hard for Mr. Schwartz to argue that he didn't know better. After all, he is himself a product of revolving door politics.

We know:

1. $TSLA is paying for lunch for the CA STO (which includes CAEATFA)
2. CAEATFA is paying former CAEATFA colleagues (Blue Sky)
3. $TSLA is paying former CAEATFA colleagues (Blue Sky)
4. $TSLA gives CAEATFA advance notice of bad PR so it can be ignored/downplayed
...

5. CAEATFA gives $TSLA advance notice of formal decisions and overlooks perjury
6. CAEATFA exempts $TSLA from hundreds of millions of dollars worth of tax payments
7. $TSLA is paying into the re-election campaigns of virtually every state legislator overseeing this arrangement

Just for kicks, compare and contrast late 2017 and early 2019 $TSLA projections submitted to CAEATFA and released by mistake. (2017 on left, 2019 on right with yellow stripe.)

Funny, "Operating Margin %" disappeared!