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George M

Jul 22, 2025 • 14 tweets • 4 min read • Read on X

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Everyone thinks Elon Musk founded Tesla.

He didn’t.

He joined later, kicked out the real founder, and took over the company.

Then he erased him from history.

Here’s the wildest takeover in modern business history: 🧵

In 2003, Martin Eberhard and Marc Tarpenning started Tesla Motors.

Their dream?

Build an all-electric sports car.

Reinvent the auto industry.

But there was a problem they needed money...

By 2004, they needed funding.

That’s when Elon Musk showed up.

Fresh off selling PayPal.

He invested $6.5 million in their Series A.

But Elon wanted more than just a seat at the table...

Musk became Chairman of the Board.

He wasn’t a founder.

But now he had leverage.

At first, things looked smooth.

Behind closed doors? Not so much.

Musk pushed for speed.

Eberhard wanted control.

Costs spiraled. Timelines slipped.

The board grew frustrated.

And Elon made his move.

In 2007, Eberhard was ousted.

No public goodbye.

No thanks. Just gone.

“Elon Musk fired me from Tesla.”

— Martin Eberhard

Musk didn’t stop there.

He launched a quiet PR campaign.

In interviews, press, and events—

He started calling himself “a founder.”

Then: “the founder.”

Eberhard sued him in 2009.

For defamation and libel.

The case was settled out of court.

Details never revealed.

But by then, it was too late.

The media crowned Musk the genius behind Tesla.

The myth was cemented.

And Elon?
He took the wheel.
He became CEO in 2008.

Musk restructured the roadmap.

Turned the Roadster into a real car.

Laid the foundation for Model S.

Chased mass-market scale.

And changed the future of electric vehicles.

Today:

Tesla is worth over $700 billion.

It's reshaping transportation.

And Musk is the most powerful CEO on the planet.

But the truth? He didn’t start Tesla.

He took it.

The billion-dollar lesson?

Elon didn’t just take control of Tesla.

He controlled the narrative.

He built a personal brand so strong, most people don’t even know he wasn’t the founder.

That’s the power of personal branding.

Want to build a brand people remember

no matter what you sell?

We teach solo founders how to grow on X, build influence, and own their niche.

Click the link in my profile to start.

https://twitter.com/1693696748038836224/status/1947601996456071569

I hope you've found this thread helpful.

Follow me @GeorgeM_Growth for more.

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