The American Kill Line: I Can Predict the Future

Chapter 12 Prophecy: Germany Causes Trouble

Tesla Motors was originally founded by two computer engineers who graduated from the University of California—Martin Eberhard and Marc Tarpenning.

The initial ideal was to "accelerate the world's transition to electric mobility through a variety of increasingly affordable electric vehicles."

And so, the two engineers peddled their ideas in Silicon Valley.

I hope to meet an investor.

Ideals are beautiful, but reality is often cruel.

Let alone in 2003, even now—in 2010—people still have deep doubts about the concept of electric vehicles.

After more than a century of development, gasoline-powered cars have become deeply ingrained in people's minds.

Suddenly someone popped up and said that electric cars are the future trend.

It's easy to imagine how much ridicule and sarcasm he would face.

Months later, just when Martin and Mark were feeling disheartened, Elon Musk appeared.

They are willing to invest $630 million in this project.

The condition is that he/she becomes the chairman of the board and has the final say on all matters of the company.

Despite the harsh conditions, Martin and Mark agreed.

Firstly, after spending six months in Silicon Valley, Musk was the only investor who was optimistic about their project.

Furthermore, even if Musk becomes chairman, they and their team will still retain absolute control.

Neither of them knew that this decision would ultimately lead to their expulsion from Tesla Motors.

No wonder, how could two techies possibly compete with a shrewd businessman like Musk?

In 2007, Martin and Mark were both forced to leave Tesla.

And it just so happened that the financial crisis was occurring.

Musk used this opportunity to purge the company's top executives, retaining the position of chairman while also serving as CEO.

Musk then invested $4000 million.

They also signed a cooperation agreement with Toyota to provide battery packs and engines to Toyota.

Keep in mind that at that time, Tesla was on the verge of bankruptcy and the company's accounts were in the red.

Musk not only saved the company, but also brought in a large amount of capital, enabling the company to grow even further.

In the eyes of the company's employees and investors, he was like a "savior".

With this, Musk took full control of Tesla and gained absolute leadership.

Meanwhile, Martin Eberhard, who had been kicked out, was unwilling to let his years of hard work benefit others.

So they sued Musk.

Unfortunately, at that time, Musk and Tesla Motors were favored by the then-president and the Secretary of Energy.

The lawsuit was eventually settled.

One of the key provisions allows Musk to legally call himself a co-founder of Tesla, completely rewriting the company's origin story.

Don't be fooled by the fact that Musk started out in software programming.

In fact, he was a visionary and shrewd businessman.

Tesla's journey to where it is today has been almost entirely within his expectations.

He personally participated in product launches and media events, becoming the company's most influential spokesperson.

The company promotes a corporate culture of "extreme innovation" and "rapid iteration," requiring employees to be absolutely obedient to its vision.

Leading the company's strategic transformation from an automaker to an "energy technology company" strengthens individual decision-making power regarding technology roadmap.

Deeply link your personal image with the Tesla brand.

Today, Tesla Motors is undergoing a new transformation. Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan Chase, Morgan Stanley, and Deutsche Bank, four top investment banks, served as underwriters for its IPO.

This also signals that Tesla is about to become the first publicly listed automaker in the United States since Ford's IPO in 1956.

The New York roadshow was held at Morgan Stanley's Times Square office.

The so-called roadshow is essentially a private equity pitch aimed at institutional investors.

Those who can participate, besides top investment banks, are at least high-net-worth investors certified by securities firms like Ron.

When Musk learned that a newly minted billionaire on Wall Street was willing to spend $1000 million to subscribe to the shares, he made a special trip to meet him.

"Mr. Hunter, Tony from Merrill Lynch just told me that you are also optimistic about the future of new energy vehicles. I am deeply honored by this."

"Elon, don't be so polite, just call me Ron. I have confidence in Tesla. The whole world is advocating for environmental protection, and new energy vehicles are definitely the future trend."

Ron is a complete liar; he knows nothing about new energy vehicles.

In the past, if someone asked him that question, he would have ridiculed him mercilessly.

It's supposed to be new energy, but it's just a broken electric car.

Forget about looking forward to it, Mr. Hunter wouldn't even sit down.

"Alright, then I won't stand on ceremony with you, Ron. Tesla will be ringing the bell on Nasdaq on the 29th of next month. You're welcome to come then."

Musk knew that the nouveau riche in front of him was blatantly lying.

But these were also the words he needed.

Over the past week, this man, dubbed "the luckiest man of the century" by Wall Street, has become the subject of much discussion across the United States.

With such a high-profile figure investing in Tesla, Tesla is bound to make headlines tomorrow.

The media reporters invited to the scene captured the scene of Ron and Musk having a pleasant conversation.

Compared to Ron's relaxed and cheerful demeanor, Alexandra appeared quite reserved.

She was the only celebrity to participate in this roadshow.

Without Ron, she wouldn't even have the right to look at him.

Alexandra had been tense ever since she stepped through that door.

Those who come and go here are all symbols of America's wealth.

Some figures only appear in other people's legends.

She used to yearn for the world of Hollywood fame and fortune, dreaming that one day she could proudly walk into the spotlight.

But it was only then that she realized what the real world of fame and fortune truly was.

Hollywood's so-called Vanity Fair is utterly low-class compared to this event.

The roadshow lasted for nearly two hours.

Before the meeting ended, the total financing in New York reached $1.3 million.

For a startup, the $1.3 million funding round in New York is a great start.

At the banquet, Tony Kuras, the market manager of Merrill Lynch, brought Ron to meet with managers or presidents from various top investment banks present.

This isn't so much a recognition of him, but rather a demonstration of Merrill Lynch's respect for its major clients.

When shaking hands with the head of Deutsche Bank in New York, Ron, who had been nonchalant and bored, suddenly paused.

On the evening of May 18, Germany announced a ban on... "naked short selling," causing the euro to fall to 1.2143. On May 21, rumors of European monetary intervention (false evidence) caused the euro to rise to 1.2598.

There was so much information this time that Ron was stunned for a while.

"Excuse me, I need to use the restroom."

Ron pretended to have a stomachache and quickly walked towards the bathroom.

Alexandra, who was beside him, noticed his change and followed him.

"Honey, what's wrong?"

"It's nothing, just a bit of an upset stomach, probably from that damn champagne."

At the bathroom door, Ron casually offered an explanation.

Then he hurriedly went into the bathroom.

I closed the door, took out a prepared sticky note from my pocket, and quickly wrote down the message I had just received.

The timing and circumstances were wrong; Ron didn't have time to consider what Germany's ban on "naked short selling" meant.

The only thing I could do was quickly memorize this long message.

Especially the number of points and time.