Musk, who is well-known for rejecting
skepticism of himself or his company, insisted
that he welcomes criticism:
“If I’m mistaken,” he said on the witness stand, “I
view critical feedback as a gift.”
Musk said his off-beat titles and other quips
simply reflect his sense of humor.
“I think I’m funny,” he offered.
What’s more, he said, the resulting media
attention often plays to Tesla’s benefit.
“If we’re entertaining, people will write
stories about us,” and the company can save
on advertising.”
Regarding Tesla’s all-stock acquisition of
SolarCity, Musk asserted that he had nothing
to gain financially from it because he owned
shares of both companies.
Musk also argued that SolarCity’s failure to
meet aggressive sales forecasts and its loss of
market share were only temporary setbacks. He
said they reflected his decision to divert Tesla
resources toward salvaging production of the
Tesla Model 3 electric car — and then running
“headlong into a pandemic.”
The effort to salvage Tesla 3 was “all-hands-on-
deck” operation — so desperate that even the
company’s lawyers were enlisted in the effort,
Musk said, drawing laughter in the court.
Musk’s defense noted that SolarCity had been in
Tesla’s plans as early as his 2006 master plan for
the electric carmaker. In saying so, he asserted
that the joining of the companies 10 years later
wasn’t an emergency bailout as the plaintiffs
have alleged.