Elon Musk did not name nor found Tesla; he bought the name for $75,000 from a stubborn owner in Sacramento through persistent negotiation. The real founders of Tesla were Martin Eberhard and Mark Tarpenning. Musk joined a year after Tesla was founded, invested $6.5 million, and later became chairman and CEO, driving the company to global success. If the deal for the name had failed, Musk's alternative was 'Faraday.'
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00:00Elon Musk did not name Tesla. He bought it for $75,000 from a guy who wouldn't sell it.
00:07Most people think that Musk founded Tesla and came up with the name, but the truth,
00:11he didn't even join until a year after it was founded. The real founders, Martin Eberhard
00:17and Mark Tarpenning. And the name, it belonged to a guy in Sacramento. Musk wanted it so badly
00:23that he sent his nicest employee to sit on the guy's doorstep until he gave in. The guy finally
00:29said, fine, I'll sell it to you if you leave. That's how Tesla got its name for $75,000. But
00:36if the deal fell through, Musk's backup name was Faraday, a nod to the scientist behind electric
00:42motors. Ironically, another EV company grabbed that name later on. Musk didn't invent Tesla tech and
00:48he didn't name it, but he invested $6.5 million, became chairman and later CEO. So no, he didn't
00:56build it in a garage, but he did drive it to global domination.
01:00He didn't build it in a garage, but he did drive it to global domination.