Tesla Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk on Sunday&nbsp;asked Russian President Vladimir Putin to join the audio chat app Clubhouse and have a conversation with him.

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было бы большой честью поговорить с вами
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) <a href="https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1360700181658886147?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 13, 2021</a></blockquote>
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Later on, Musk tweeted in Russian and said it would be a ''great honour'' to talk to Putin. Kremlin did not respond to the tweet by the silicon valley billionaire.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/technology/im-an-alien-musk-says-in-response-to-question-from-cred-founder-kunal-shah-363418" hreflang="en">'I'm an alien': Musk says in response to question from Cred founder Kunal Shah</a>

The tweet triggered a flurry of responses from several Twitter users who expressed their support for the&nbsp;proposal.

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I have an invite if you need one <a href="https://twitter.com/KremlinRussia_E?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@KremlinRussia_E</a>
— Jack Butcher (@jackbutcher) <a href="https://twitter.com/jackbutcher/status/1360699664127954958?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 13, 2021</a></blockquote>
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A surprise chat between tech billionaire&nbsp;Elon&nbsp;Musk&nbsp;and Robinhood CEO Vlad Tenev on new audio-based social network Clubhouse&nbsp;propelled the app to the top of the startup charts and sparked a scramble for invitations to the exclusive service.

For&nbsp;Musk's appearance with the boss of the trading app Robinhood, the maximum capacity of 5,000 people was quickly reached, so secondary overflow "rooms" were opened.

The interaction between the two entrepreneurs on the platform last week came amid intense interest in the news around Robinhood, the online brokerage caught up in a wild stockmarket battle between retail investors and big Wall Street funds.

Demand for invitations to the less-than-a-year-old service -- members get to invite a limited number of friends during its pre-launch period -- is so hot, a market for them has grown on platforms like Reddit, eBay, and Craigslist.

Tesla Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk on Sunday asked Russian President Vladimir Putin to join the audio chat app Clubhouse and have a conversation with him. было бы большой честью поговорить с вами — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 13, 2021 × Later on, Musk tweeted in Russian and said it would be a ''great honour'' to talk to Putin.

Tesla Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk on Sunday asked Russian President Vladimir Putin to join the audio chat app Clubhouse and have a conversation with him. было бы большой честью поговорить с вами — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 13, 2021 × Later on, Musk tweeted in Russian and said it would be a ''great honour'' to talk to Putin. Kremlin did not respond to the tweet by the silicon valley billionaire. Also read: 'I'm an alien': Musk says in response to question from Cred founder Kunal Shah The tweet triggered a flurry of responses from several Twitter users who expressed their support for the proposal. I have an invite if you need one @KremlinRussia_E — Jack Butcher (@jackbutcher) February 13, 2021 × A surprise chat between tech billionaire Elon Musk and Robinhood CEO Vlad Tenev on new audio-based social network Clubhouse propelled the app to the top of the startup charts and sparked a scramble for invitations to the exclusive service. For Musk's appearance with the boss of the trading app Robinhood, the maximum capacity of 5,000 people was quickly reached, so secondary overflow "rooms" were opened. The interaction between the two entrepreneurs on the platform last week came amid intense interest in the news around Robinhood, the online brokerage caught up in a wild stockmarket battle between retail investors and big Wall Street funds. Demand for invitations to the less-than-a-year-old service -- members get to invite a limited number of friends during its pre-launch period -- is so hot, a market for them has grown on platforms like Reddit, eBay, and Craigslist.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk asks Russian President Vladimir Putin to join Clubhouse app

Electric car maker Tesla will set up its manufacturing plant in the southern Indian state of Karnataka, Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa confirmed on Saturday.&nbsp;

"American firm Tesla will set up the car-manufacturing unit in Karnataka," Yediurappa was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.&nbsp;

Watch |&nbsp;

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Last month, Tesla registered its office in Karnataka's capital Bengaluru, the hub of India's tech industry.&nbsp;

Also read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/twitter-users-stuck-in-traffic-jam-with-memes-after-tesla-officially-enters-india-356393">Twitter users 'stuck in traffic jam' with memes after Tesla officially enters India</a>

Several reports in the previous months also claimed that Tesla will launch its research and development unit in India.&nbsp;

Tesla CEO Elon Musk in a tweet confirmed in December that in 2021 the company will launch its operations in India.&nbsp;

"Next year for sure," Musk had replied last year in a Twitter post with a photograph of a T-shirt with the message: "India wants Tesla".&nbsp;

Nitin Gadkari, Minister of Road Transport &amp; Highways, said Tesla will begin its operations in India with sales and will later expand into assembly and manufacturing of electric cars, reports Mint.&nbsp;

The government by Prime Minister Narendra Modi is trying to reduce India's oil dependance and is encouraging investment in electric vehicles.&nbsp;

The Indian government plans to offer $4.6 billion in incentives to companies setting up advanced battery manufacturing facilities in the country in a bid to push investment, news agency Reuters reported last year. 
&nbsp;

Electric car maker Tesla will set up its manufacturing plant in the southern Indian state of Karnataka, Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa confirmed on Saturday. "American firm Tesla will set up the car-manufacturing unit in Karnataka," Yediurappa was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.

Electric car maker Tesla will set up its manufacturing plant in the southern Indian state of Karnataka, Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa confirmed on Saturday. "American firm Tesla will set up the car-manufacturing unit in Karnataka," Yediurappa was quoted as saying by news agency PTI. Watch | Last month, Tesla registered its office in Karnataka's capital Bengaluru, the hub of India's tech industry. Also read | Twitter users 'stuck in traffic jam' with memes after Tesla officially enters India Several reports in the previous months also claimed that Tesla will launch its research and development unit in India. Tesla CEO Elon Musk in a tweet confirmed in December that in 2021 the company will launch its operations in India. "Next year for sure," Musk had replied last year in a Twitter post with a photograph of a T-shirt with the message: "India wants Tesla". Nitin Gadkari, Minister of Road Transport & Highways, said Tesla will begin its operations in India with sales and will later expand into assembly and manufacturing of electric cars, reports Mint. The government by Prime Minister Narendra Modi is trying to reduce India's oil dependance and is encouraging investment in electric vehicles. The Indian government plans to offer $4.6 billion in incentives to companies setting up advanced battery manufacturing facilities in the country in a bid to push investment, news agency Reuters reported last year.

Tesla will set up its manufacturing plant in Karnataka: CM Yediyurappa

Tesla CEO Elon Musk said he is an ''alien'' in response to&nbsp;fintech startup&nbsp;Cred&nbsp;Kunal Shah's question regarding how he is running more than four $500-billion companies simultaneously at a relatively young age.

"What I want to really understand how does he do it? How does he manage context switching? How does he design his Org," Shah asked.

In response, the silicon valley billionaire tweeted:&nbsp;"I'm an alien."

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I’m an alien
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) <a href="https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1360170735033978880?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 12, 2021</a></blockquote>
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The banter between Musk and Shah triggered a slew of memes, with many laughing about the world’s&nbsp;“Worst kept secret.”

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<a href="https://t.co/tJodU1RJAv">https://t.co/tJodU1RJAv</a> <a href="https://t.co/hwQISzWZJM">pic.twitter.com/hwQISzWZJM</a>
— Renata Konkoly 🐢🦔 (@RenataKonkoly) <a href="https://twitter.com/RenataKonkoly/status/1360172300910354433?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 12, 2021</a></blockquote>
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<a href="https://twitter.com/elonmusk?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@elonmusk</a> 👽 <a href="https://t.co/OcA8fvPn53">pic.twitter.com/OcA8fvPn53</a>
— venus 🧜‍♀️ (@venus47203379) <a href="https://twitter.com/venus47203379/status/1360231596230590469?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 12, 2021</a></blockquote>
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With social media prognostications about Bitcoin or GameStop,&nbsp;Elon&nbsp;Musk&nbsp;has ventured further away from his own businesses and become more like a Wall Street heavyweight who can move markets with just a few words.

Musk, who last month became the richest man in the world on paper thanks to a Tesla stock market boom, has nearly 45 million followers on Twitter.

Swept on by the success of his companies Tesla and SpaceX, as well as by interest in the electric cars and rockets they manufacture, he is considered by many fans to be a visionary, his slightest word enough to sway some investors.&nbsp;

When he changed his Twitter profile to read simply "#bitcoin" on Friday, the cryptocurrency's price temporarily skyrocketed by around 20 per cent.

And the mere mention of the Polish publisher of video game CD Projekt, or the e-commerce platform Shopify or the craft market Etsy -- which apparently delighted&nbsp;Musk&nbsp;with a hand-knitted hat for his dog,&nbsp;caused their stocks to soar.

The business giant, who has expressed his contempt for investors betting on a decline in a company's shares, waded in on the GameStop affair by tweeting a link to the Reddit group WallStreetBets, which helped stock of the video game specialist take off.&nbsp;

Tesla CEO Elon Musk said he is an ''alien'' in response to fintech startup Cred Kunal Shah's question regarding how he is running more than four $500-billion companies simultaneously at a relatively young age.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk said he is an ''alien'' in response to fintech startup Cred Kunal Shah's question regarding how he is running more than four $500-billion companies simultaneously at a relatively young age. "What I want to really understand how does he do it? How does he manage context switching? How does he design his Org," Shah asked. In response, the silicon valley billionaire tweeted: "I'm an alien." I’m an alien — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 12, 2021 × The banter between Musk and Shah triggered a slew of memes, with many laughing about the world’s “Worst kept secret.” https://t.co/tJodU1RJAv pic.twitter.com/hwQISzWZJM — Renata Konkoly 🐢🦔 (@RenataKonkoly) February 12, 2021 × @elonmusk 👽 pic.twitter.com/OcA8fvPn53 — venus 🧜‍♀️ (@venus47203379) February 12, 2021 × With social media prognostications about Bitcoin or GameStop, Elon Musk has ventured further away from his own businesses and become more like a Wall Street heavyweight who can move markets with just a few words. Musk, who last month became the richest man in the world on paper thanks to a Tesla stock market boom, has nearly 45 million followers on Twitter. Swept on by the success of his companies Tesla and SpaceX, as well as by interest in the electric cars and rockets they manufacture, he is considered by many fans to be a visionary, his slightest word enough to sway some investors. When he changed his Twitter profile to read simply "#bitcoin" on Friday, the cryptocurrency's price temporarily skyrocketed by around 20 per cent. And the mere mention of the Polish publisher of video game CD Projekt, or the e-commerce platform Shopify or the craft market Etsy -- which apparently delighted Musk with a hand-knitted hat for his dog, caused their stocks to soar. The business giant, who has expressed his contempt for investors betting on a decline in a company's shares, waded in on the GameStop affair by tweeting a link to the Reddit group WallStreetBets, which helped stock of the video game specialist take off.

'I'm an alien': Musk says in response to question from Cred founder Kunal Shah

Ahead of its launch in India, Tesla has hit regulatory roadblocks in the US and China. Tesla has had to recall cars in both markets. The complaints from the consumers range from 'unusual acceleration' to 'battery fires' & 'console issues'.

Gravitas: Tesla hits regulatory roadblocks

With social media prognostications about Bitcoin or GameStop,&nbsp;Elon&nbsp;Musk&nbsp;has ventured further away from his own businesses and become more like a Wall Street heavyweight who can move markets with just a few words.

Musk, who last month became the richest man in the world on paper thanks to a Tesla stock market boom, has nearly 45 million followers on Twitter.

Swept on by the success of his companies Tesla and SpaceX, as well as by interest in the electric cars and rockets they manufacture, Elon Musk&nbsp;is considered by many fans to be a visionary, his slightest word enough to sway some investors.&nbsp;

When he changed his Twitter profile to read simply "#bitcoin" on Friday, the cryptocurrency's price temporarily skyrocketed by around 20 per cent.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/tesla-ceo-elon-musk-calls-himself-bitcoin-supporter-prices-soar-360630">Tesla CEO Elon Musk calls himself Bitcoin 'supporter'; prices soar</a>

However, Tesla has hit another roadblock in the form of security malfunction and other technical problems due to which thousands of models of the company are being recalled both in the US and China.

Chinese regulators have summoned representatives of US electric car giant&nbsp;Tesla&nbsp;after reported technical problems with their vehicles, notably concerning their safety, officials in Beijing said Monday.&nbsp;

The news comes several months after two recalls of the company's vehicles in China, the world's largest car market.&nbsp;

"Consumers have cited multiple problems, related to unusual accelerations, batteries catching fire, as well as with the remote update system," the State Administration for Market Regulation said in a statement.&nbsp;

"They were asked to strictly conform to Chinese laws and regulations" in order to "guarantee public security" and the "rights and legitimate interests of consumers", the regulator said.

Tesla&nbsp;will recall nearly 135,000 cars to repair a computer memory failure that could pose a safety risk, US regulators said on Tuesday.

The electric car manufacturer notified the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) of the massive recall over the problem affecting the cars' touchscreen that could cause a loss of some features.&nbsp;

The recall covers the 2012 to 2018 Model S sedans and the 2016 to 2018 Model X SUVs equipped with a NVIDIA Tegra 3 processor,&nbsp;Tesla&nbsp;said in its notification to NHTSA.

When the flash memory in the touchscreen reaches the end of its useful life, it "can cause failures of the center display software components, and may indirectly cause loss of the rearview camera display, defrost/defog control settings and exterior turn signal lighting," the manufacturer said.

Tesla&nbsp;said it will repair the issue at no cost to car owners, starting in late March.

NHTSA opened a preliminary investigation into the issue of backup camera failures in June 2020.

About 159,000 vehicles were affected by memory issues, according to NHTSA. However,&nbsp;Tesla&nbsp;said the recall does not cover those that already were upgraded to the Intel Atom processor.

While vehicles can still be driven, and&nbsp;Tesla&nbsp;said it was not aware of any accidents as a result of the issue, the failure "may increase the risk of a crash."

These red flags coincide with Tesla's debut in India with its Model 3 being available for sale in June this year. The electric car company is still finding its feet in the country, but if these issues persist, instead of catapulting to success the company will falter.

With social media prognostications about Bitcoin or GameStop, Elon Musk has ventured further away from his own businesses and become more like a Wall Street heavyweight who can move markets with just a few words.

With social media prognostications about Bitcoin or GameStop, Elon Musk has ventured further away from his own businesses and become more like a Wall Street heavyweight who can move markets with just a few words. Musk, who last month became the richest man in the world on paper thanks to a Tesla stock market boom, has nearly 45 million followers on Twitter. Swept on by the success of his companies Tesla and SpaceX, as well as by interest in the electric cars and rockets they manufacture, Elon Musk is considered by many fans to be a visionary, his slightest word enough to sway some investors. When he changed his Twitter profile to read simply "#bitcoin" on Friday, the cryptocurrency's price temporarily skyrocketed by around 20 per cent. Also read: Tesla CEO Elon Musk calls himself Bitcoin 'supporter'; prices soar However, Tesla has hit another roadblock in the form of security malfunction and other technical problems due to which thousands of models of the company are being recalled both in the US and China. Chinese regulators have summoned representatives of US electric car giant Tesla after reported technical problems with their vehicles, notably concerning their safety, officials in Beijing said Monday. The news comes several months after two recalls of the company's vehicles in China, the world's largest car market. "Consumers have cited multiple problems, related to unusual accelerations, batteries catching fire, as well as with the remote update system," the State Administration for Market Regulation said in a statement. "They were asked to strictly conform to Chinese laws and regulations" in order to "guarantee public security" and the "rights and legitimate interests of consumers", the regulator said. Tesla will recall nearly 135,000 cars to repair a computer memory failure that could pose a safety risk, US regulators said on Tuesday. The electric car manufacturer notified the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) of the massive recall over the problem affecting the cars' touchscreen that could cause a loss of some features. The recall covers the 2012 to 2018 Model S sedans and the 2016 to 2018 Model X SUVs equipped with a NVIDIA Tegra 3 processor, Tesla said in its notification to NHTSA. When the flash memory in the touchscreen reaches the end of its useful life, it "can cause failures of the center display software components, and may indirectly cause loss of the rearview camera display, defrost/defog control settings and exterior turn signal lighting," the manufacturer said. Tesla said it will repair the issue at no cost to car owners, starting in late March. NHTSA opened a preliminary investigation into the issue of backup camera failures in June 2020. About 159,000 vehicles were affected by memory issues, according to NHTSA. However, Tesla said the recall does not cover those that already were upgraded to the Intel Atom processor. While vehicles can still be driven, and Tesla said it was not aware of any accidents as a result of the issue, the failure "may increase the risk of a crash." These red flags coincide with Tesla's debut in India with its Model 3 being available for sale in June this year. The electric car company is still finding its feet in the country, but if these issues persist, instead of catapulting to success the company will falter.

Elon Musk's Tesla facing another roadblock in form of security malfunction

Chinese government officials have met representatives from US electric carmaker Tesla over reports from consumers about battery fires, unexpected acceleration and failures in over-the-air software updates.

World Business Watch: Tesla faces China regulators over consumer complaints

Bitcoin hit a record-high above $43,000 on Monday after electric carmaker Tesla invested $1.5 billion in the digital currency. The cryptocurrency has anyway been up around 50 per cent since the start of the year.

Bitcoin hit $43,725.51 around 1300 GMT, before cooling slightly to $42,352.&nbsp;

Tesla's decision came just days after CEO Elon Musk changed his Twitter bio to simply read "#bitcoin." The announcement came in a US Securities and Exchange Commission document.

Tesla said in a filing the decision was part of its broad investment policy as a company and was aimed at diversifying and maximizing its returns on cash. It said it had invested an aggregate $1.5 billion in bitcoin under the changed policy and could "acquire and hold digital assets from time to time or long-term".

It is now expected that Tesla would soon begin accepting payment for its cars and other products with bitcoin in the near future.

Bitcoin hit a record-high above $43,000 on Monday after electric carmaker Tesla invested $1.5 billion in the digital currency. The cryptocurrency has anyway been up around 50 per cent since the start of the year.

Bitcoin hit a record-high above $43,000 on Monday after electric carmaker Tesla invested $1.5 billion in the digital currency. The cryptocurrency has anyway been up around 50 per cent since the start of the year. Bitcoin hit $43,725.51 around 1300 GMT, before cooling slightly to $42,352. Tesla's decision came just days after CEO Elon Musk changed his Twitter bio to simply read "#bitcoin." The announcement came in a US Securities and Exchange Commission document. Tesla said in a filing the decision was part of its broad investment policy as a company and was aimed at diversifying and maximizing its returns on cash. It said it had invested an aggregate $1.5 billion in bitcoin under the changed policy and could "acquire and hold digital assets from time to time or long-term". It is now expected that Tesla would soon begin accepting payment for its cars and other products with bitcoin in the near future.

Bitcoin hits record high after Tesla invests about $1.50 billion in it

Tesla chief Elon Musk grilled&nbsp;Vladimir&nbsp;Tenev,&nbsp;co-founder of online stock broker app Robinhood, which is under fire for blocking retail investors from purchasing GameStop stock.

Musk asked on private social audio app&nbsp;Clubhouse&nbsp;"Do you want to hear the real story from Vlad [from] Robinhood about what happened on the Street with GameStop?"

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/technology/gamestop-prompts-surge-in-hyper-rally-after-elon-musks-tweet-359791">GameStop prompts surge in hyper-rally after Elon Musk's tweet</a>

On the wide-ranging chat, Musk discussed memes, Mars, his companies, and vaccines, among other topics.&nbsp;

Clubhouse&nbsp;built a following among venture capitalists and startup founders gossiping in its audio-only chatrooms following its launch last March as the COVID-19 pandemic spread around the world. It provides&nbsp;an alternative forum to Twitter.

GameStop stock surged some 400 per cent&nbsp;in the past week after retail investors banded together to buy shares in the US&nbsp;video game retailer, sending hedge funds scrambling to cover losing bets.

Musk questioned&nbsp;Tenev saying&nbsp;"What happened last week? Why couldn't people buy the GameStop shares? The people demand answers, and they want to know the truth."

Tenev&nbsp;said the market rumour was untrue that Citadel Securities - the market-making arm of billionaire hedge-fund manager Ken Griffin - had pressured Robinhood into blocking retail investors.

"That's just false,"&nbsp;Tenev&nbsp;said, adding that Robinhood temporarily halted trading to meet regulatory capital requirements.

The Menlo Park, California-based company was founded in 2013 by Baiju Bhatt and&nbsp;Tenev, aiming to democratize finance. Its platform allows users to make unlimited commission-free trades in stocks, exchange-traded funds, options and cryptocurrencies.

Musk last week tweeted "Gamestonk!!," which many in the market interpreted as an apparent show of support for small investors. "Stonks" is a tongue-in-cheek term for stocks widely used on social media.

Tesla chief Elon Musk grilled Vladimir Tenev, co-founder of online stock broker app Robinhood, which is under fire for blocking retail investors from purchasing GameStop stock.

Tesla chief Elon Musk grilled Vladimir Tenev, co-founder of online stock broker app Robinhood, which is under fire for blocking retail investors from purchasing GameStop stock. Musk asked on private social audio app Clubhouse "Do you want to hear the real story from Vlad [from] Robinhood about what happened on the Street with GameStop?" Also read: GameStop prompts surge in hyper-rally after Elon Musk's tweet On the wide-ranging chat, Musk discussed memes, Mars, his companies, and vaccines, among other topics. Clubhouse built a following among venture capitalists and startup founders gossiping in its audio-only chatrooms following its launch last March as the COVID-19 pandemic spread around the world. It provides an alternative forum to Twitter. GameStop stock surged some 400 per cent in the past week after retail investors banded together to buy shares in the US video game retailer, sending hedge funds scrambling to cover losing bets. Musk questioned Tenev saying "What happened last week? Why couldn't people buy the GameStop shares? The people demand answers, and they want to know the truth." Tenev said the market rumour was untrue that Citadel Securities - the market-making arm of billionaire hedge-fund manager Ken Griffin - had pressured Robinhood into blocking retail investors. "That's just false," Tenev said, adding that Robinhood temporarily halted trading to meet regulatory capital requirements. The Menlo Park, California-based company was founded in 2013 by Baiju Bhatt and Tenev, aiming to democratize finance. Its platform allows users to make unlimited commission-free trades in stocks, exchange-traded funds, options and cryptocurrencies. Musk last week tweeted "Gamestonk!!," which many in the market interpreted as an apparent show of support for small investors. "Stonks" is a tongue-in-cheek term for stocks widely used on social media.

Tesla's Elon Musk grills Robinhood CEO Vladimir Tenev over GameStop trading freeze

Bitcoin prices soared after&nbsp;Tesla CEO Elon Musk on Monday said that he is a ''supporter'' of the largest cryptocurrency.

The comments come after Musk's use of a "#bitcoin" tag on his Twitter profile page led to a 14 per cent&nbsp;jump in the cryptocurrency on Friday.

Also read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/technology/gamestop-prompts-surge-in-hyper-rally-after-elon-musks-tweet-359791">GameStop prompts surge in hyper-rally after Elon Musk's tweet</a>

"I am a supporter of bitcoin,"&nbsp;Musk&nbsp;said during his debut on the invitation-only social media app Clubhouse, a conversation that drew thousands of listeners.

"I think bitcoin is on the verge of getting broad acceptance by conventional finance people," he said, adding he should have bought it eight years ago.

"I was a little slow on the uptake ... I do think at this point that bitcoin is a good thing."

Cryptocurrencies have buffeted recently by volatile-retail investor demand shaped online by Twitter feeds and Reddit forms.

Bitcoin was up 2&nbsp;per cent&nbsp;at $33,796 on Monday, having surged over 300 per cent&nbsp;in 2020. The cryptocurrency jumped over 300&nbsp;per cent&nbsp;last year, as bigger US&nbsp;investors and corporations sought exposure to it, and touched an all-time high of $42,000 last month.

In December,&nbsp;Musk&nbsp;asked about the possibility of converting "large transactions" of Tesla's balance sheet into bitcoin, in a Twitter exchange with a well-known advocate for the digital currency.

The Twitter handle of the world's richest person has joined the growing list of things to watch for those trading stocks for personal or professional purposes and comes amid the rising prominence of the'WallStreetBets' Reddit chat room that drove skyrocketing gains for GameStop shares.

That forum grabbed&nbsp;Musk's attention too when he tweeted "Gamestonk!!" on Tuesday, along with a link to the Reddit stock trading discussion group behind the year-to-date 2,500 [per cent-plus rally in the video game retailer.

"Stonks" is a tongue-in-cheek term for stocks widely used on social media. His supporters in the Reddit forum affectionately refer to him as "Papa&nbsp;Musk."

Justifiably, his tweets led to surges in other stocks too.

Shares of fast-growing Polish game developer CD Projekt soared 16 per cent&nbsp;on Thursday after&nbsp;Musk&nbsp;tweeted: "The esthetics of Cyberpunk are incredible btw....". Cyberpunk is the company's flagship game.

Similarly, online retailing platform Etsy's stock jumped 9 per cent&nbsp;on Tuesday right after&nbsp;Musk&nbsp;tweeted: "I kinda love Etsy". He said he bought a "hand-knit wool Marvin the Martian helm" for his dog.

Bitcoin prices soared after Tesla CEO Elon Musk on Monday said that he is a ''supporter'' of the largest cryptocurrency. The comments come after Musk's use of a "#bitcoin" tag on his Twitter profile page led to a 14 per cent jump in the cryptocurrency on Friday.

Bitcoin prices soared after Tesla CEO Elon Musk on Monday said that he is a ''supporter'' of the largest cryptocurrency. The comments come after Musk's use of a "#bitcoin" tag on his Twitter profile page led to a 14 per cent jump in the cryptocurrency on Friday. Also read: GameStop prompts surge in hyper-rally after Elon Musk's tweet "I am a supporter of bitcoin," Musk said during his debut on the invitation-only social media app Clubhouse, a conversation that drew thousands of listeners. "I think bitcoin is on the verge of getting broad acceptance by conventional finance people," he said, adding he should have bought it eight years ago. "I was a little slow on the uptake ... I do think at this point that bitcoin is a good thing." Cryptocurrencies have buffeted recently by volatile-retail investor demand shaped online by Twitter feeds and Reddit forms. Bitcoin was up 2 per cent at $33,796 on Monday, having surged over 300 per cent in 2020. The cryptocurrency jumped over 300 per cent last year, as bigger US investors and corporations sought exposure to it, and touched an all-time high of $42,000 last month. In December, Musk asked about the possibility of converting "large transactions" of Tesla's balance sheet into bitcoin, in a Twitter exchange with a well-known advocate for the digital currency. The Twitter handle of the world's richest person has joined the growing list of things to watch for those trading stocks for personal or professional purposes and comes amid the rising prominence of the'WallStreetBets' Reddit chat room that drove skyrocketing gains for GameStop shares. That forum grabbed Musk's attention too when he tweeted "Gamestonk!!" on Tuesday, along with a link to the Reddit stock trading discussion group behind the year-to-date 2,500 [per cent-plus rally in the video game retailer. "Stonks" is a tongue-in-cheek term for stocks widely used on social media. His supporters in the Reddit forum affectionately refer to him as "Papa Musk." Justifiably, his tweets led to surges in other stocks too. Shares of fast-growing Polish game developer CD Projekt soared 16 per cent on Thursday after Musk tweeted: "The esthetics of Cyberpunk are incredible btw....". Cyberpunk is the company's flagship game. Similarly, online retailing platform Etsy's stock jumped 9 per cent on Tuesday right after Musk tweeted: "I kinda love Etsy". He said he bought a "hand-knit wool Marvin the Martian helm" for his dog.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk calls himself Bitcoin 'supporter'; prices soar

Tesla CEO Elon Musk has failed to throw out a defamation lawsuit filed against him by an Indian-American student Randeep Hothi.

California judge Julia Spain rejected Musk's argument that the lawsuit was baseless and should be thrown out as an attempt to silence the billionaire's free speech.

In a complaint filed at the Alameda County Superior Court,&nbsp;Randeep Hothi, a University of Michigan graduate had accused Musk of triggering an online hate campaign against him.

Hothi drew Musk's wrath two years ago due to a couple of incidents he claims were harmless. However, Musk called him a liar and complained about him to an online tech editor.

He was confronted by a security guard in February 2019 when he went to do research in Tesla's sales centre in California. Two months later, he spotted a Tesla test car while driving and took its pictures, which he later posted online.

Elon Musk accused&nbsp;Hothi of almost killing Tesla employees when he was trying to drive away from the sales centre.&nbsp;

Musk had asked the judge to strike out the lawsuit on the basis of public interest, making it protected speech and that Hothi couldn't prove that the statements were untrue or made out of malice.

But the judge refused to concede to his request emphasising that Hothi showed he could win the lawsuit.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk has failed to throw out a defamation lawsuit filed against him by an Indian-American student Randeep Hothi. California judge Julia Spain rejected Musk's argument that the lawsuit was baseless and should be thrown out as an attempt to silence the billionaire's free speech.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk has failed to throw out a defamation lawsuit filed against him by an Indian-American student Randeep Hothi. California judge Julia Spain rejected Musk's argument that the lawsuit was baseless and should be thrown out as an attempt to silence the billionaire's free speech. In a complaint filed at the Alameda County Superior Court, Randeep Hothi, a University of Michigan graduate had accused Musk of triggering an online hate campaign against him. Hothi drew Musk's wrath two years ago due to a couple of incidents he claims were harmless. However, Musk called him a liar and complained about him to an online tech editor. He was confronted by a security guard in February 2019 when he went to do research in Tesla's sales centre in California. Two months later, he spotted a Tesla test car while driving and took its pictures, which he later posted online. Elon Musk accused Hothi of almost killing Tesla employees when he was trying to drive away from the sales centre. Musk had asked the judge to strike out the lawsuit on the basis of public interest, making it protected speech and that Hothi couldn't prove that the statements were untrue or made out of malice. But the judge refused to concede to his request emphasising that Hothi showed he could win the lawsuit.

Elon Musk fails to throw out defamation suit by Indian-American student

An epic battle is unfolding on Wall Street, with a cast of characters clashing over the fate of GameStop&nbsp;skyrocketing for a fourth straight day, thanks in part to&nbsp;Elon&nbsp;Musk.

Tesla founder Elon Musk, who has waged his own battle with short sellers before seeing spectacular gains for the electric carmaker, appeared to encourage the movement by tweeting a link to the Reddit forum along with the cryptic comment&nbsp;"Gamestonk!!"&nbsp;

"Stonks" is a tongue-in-cheek term for stocks widely used on social media.

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Gamestonk!! <a href="https://t.co/RZtkDzAewJ">https://t.co/RZtkDzAewJ</a>
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) <a href="https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1354174279894642703?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 26, 2021</a></blockquote>
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Herds of amateur investors on Reddit have long been supporters of Tesla and other hyper-volatile stocks, and their influence appears to be growing.

'Short squeeze'

The WallStreetBets followers have been on a GameStop buying spree, which not only pushes up the shares but puts pressure on short sellers to make purchases to "cover" their bets to avoid steeper losses.

This is known on Wall Street as a "short squeeze" and can result in a dizzying rally by forcing short-sellers into becoming buyers.

As a result, GameStop surged 18 per cent on Monday, another 115 per cent Tuesday and had leapt 135 per cent Wednesday. That followed a stunning 50 per cent jump on Friday.

Short sellers, while reviled by some market players, are nonetheless seen as playing an important role in the markets by providing liquidity and driving down overpriced shares.&nbsp;

But at least one GameStop short-seller said he walked away from the stock after what he claimed was harassment and threats by an "angry mob."

As well as GameStop, BlackBerry, also favoured on Wallstreetbets, advanced 4.9&nbsp;per cent&nbsp;and is up 185&nbsp;per cent&nbsp;this year. An earlier tweet by&nbsp;Musk&nbsp;sent Etsy up almost 9% before it reversed its gains.

The surge in recent days - GameStop has increased more than seven-fold to $147.98 from $19 since January&nbsp;12 - has spurred concerns over bubbles in stocks that hedge funds and other speculative players had bet would fall in value.

Trading in GameStop stock was halted for volatility nine times on Monday and five times on Tuesday.

Why have GameStop shares been so volatile?

GameStop, a well-known retail chain whose business model of selling games on discs appears to have been overtaken by a move to the internet, has been the target of "short-sellers," often big hedge funds that bet on a decline by selling borrowed shares in the hope of repaying at a lower price.

But a group of amateur investors, organizing via the online platform Reddit, has fought the trend. A group calling itself WallStreetBets, with some three million members who exchange tips and boast about beating "the system," is credited with pushing up GameStop shares and roiling the Wall Street establishment.

Some analysts have described the situation as a "nerds vs Wall Street" battle.

Jaime Rogozinski, the founder of WallStreetBets, said the movement "is able to do what Occupy Wall Street was never able to do but on a completely different angle."

"Occupy Wall Street was fed up with this saying 'It's a game we can't play, you're forgetting the little guy.' Now the little guy figured out a different way around it," he said.

The WallStreetBets forum had restricted access to those outside its 3.6 million subscribers for a few hours Wednesday evening but was again visible to the public by 0115 GMT early Thursday.

Should regulators intervene?

The extreme volatility has raised concerns about manipulation, which could lead to an investigation by stock market regulators, and has even drawn attention from the White House.

"Our economic team including (Treasury) Secretary (Janet) Yellen and others are monitoring the situation," said White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki.

"It's a good reminder, though, that the stock market isn't the only measure of the health of our economy."

Late Wednesday, the Securities and Exchange Commission said it was monitoring the activity.

"We are aware of and actively monitoring the ongoing market volatility in the options and equities markets and... we are working with our fellow regulators to assess the situation and review the activities of regulated entities, financial intermediaries, and other market participants," an SEC statement said.

Jacob Frenkel, a former enforcement lawyer with the SEC, said the situation warrants regulatory review.

One option would be "a trading pause for 10 days to ensure that all investors would have access to accurate and timely information," Frenkel said.

Senator Elizabeth Warren also called for scrutiny.

"For years, the same hedge funds, private equity firms, and&nbsp;wealthy investors dismayed by the GameStop trades have treated the stock market like their own personal casino&nbsp;while everyone else pays the price," she said in a statement.&nbsp;

"It's long past time for the SEC and other financial regulators to wake up and do their jobs."

An epic battle is unfolding on Wall Street, with a cast of characters clashing over the fate of GameStop skyrocketing for a fourth straight day, thanks in part to Elon Musk.

An epic battle is unfolding on Wall Street, with a cast of characters clashing over the fate of GameStop skyrocketing for a fourth straight day, thanks in part to Elon Musk. Tesla founder Elon Musk, who has waged his own battle with short sellers before seeing spectacular gains for the electric carmaker, appeared to encourage the movement by tweeting a link to the Reddit forum along with the cryptic comment "Gamestonk!!" "Stonks" is a tongue-in-cheek term for stocks widely used on social media. Gamestonk!! https://t.co/RZtkDzAewJ — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 26, 2021 × Herds of amateur investors on Reddit have long been supporters of Tesla and other hyper-volatile stocks, and their influence appears to be growing. 'Short squeeze' The WallStreetBets followers have been on a GameStop buying spree, which not only pushes up the shares but puts pressure on short sellers to make purchases to "cover" their bets to avoid steeper losses. This is known on Wall Street as a "short squeeze" and can result in a dizzying rally by forcing short-sellers into becoming buyers. As a result, GameStop surged 18 per cent on Monday, another 115 per cent Tuesday and had leapt 135 per cent Wednesday. That followed a stunning 50 per cent jump on Friday. Short sellers, while reviled by some market players, are nonetheless seen as playing an important role in the markets by providing liquidity and driving down overpriced shares. But at least one GameStop short-seller said he walked away from the stock after what he claimed was harassment and threats by an "angry mob." As well as GameStop, BlackBerry, also favoured on Wallstreetbets, advanced 4.9 per cent and is up 185 per cent this year. An earlier tweet by Musk sent Etsy up almost 9% before it reversed its gains. The surge in recent days - GameStop has increased more than seven-fold to $147.98 from $19 since January 12 - has spurred concerns over bubbles in stocks that hedge funds and other speculative players had bet would fall in value. Trading in GameStop stock was halted for volatility nine times on Monday and five times on Tuesday. Why have GameStop shares been so volatile? GameStop, a well-known retail chain whose business model of selling games on discs appears to have been overtaken by a move to the internet, has been the target of "short-sellers," often big hedge funds that bet on a decline by selling borrowed shares in the hope of repaying at a lower price. But a group of amateur investors, organizing via the online platform Reddit, has fought the trend. A group calling itself WallStreetBets, with some three million members who exchange tips and boast about beating "the system," is credited with pushing up GameStop shares and roiling the Wall Street establishment. Some analysts have described the situation as a "nerds vs Wall Street" battle. Jaime Rogozinski, the founder of WallStreetBets, said the movement "is able to do what Occupy Wall Street was never able to do but on a completely different angle." "Occupy Wall Street was fed up with this saying 'It's a game we can't play, you're forgetting the little guy.' Now the little guy figured out a different way around it," he said. The WallStreetBets forum had restricted access to those outside its 3.6 million subscribers for a few hours Wednesday evening but was again visible to the public by 0115 GMT early Thursday. Should regulators intervene? The extreme volatility has raised concerns about manipulation, which could lead to an investigation by stock market regulators, and has even drawn attention from the White House. "Our economic team including (Treasury) Secretary (Janet) Yellen and others are monitoring the situation," said White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki. "It's a good reminder, though, that the stock market isn't the only measure of the health of our economy." Late Wednesday, the Securities and Exchange Commission said it was monitoring the activity. "We are aware of and actively monitoring the ongoing market volatility in the options and equities markets and... we are working with our fellow regulators to assess the situation and review the activities of regulated entities, financial intermediaries, and other market participants," an SEC statement said. Jacob Frenkel, a former enforcement lawyer with the SEC, said the situation warrants regulatory review. One option would be "a trading pause for 10 days to ensure that all investors would have access to accurate and timely information," Frenkel said. Senator Elizabeth Warren also called for scrutiny. "For years, the same hedge funds, private equity firms, and wealthy investors dismayed by the GameStop trades have treated the stock market like their own personal casino while everyone else pays the price," she said in a statement. "It's long past time for the SEC and other financial regulators to wake up and do their jobs."

GameStop prompts surge in hyper-rally after Elon Musk's tweet

A software engineer has been sued by the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/elon-musk">Elon Musk</a>-owned automobiles company, <a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/tesla">Tesla</a>, for allegedly stealing 26,000 confidential files.

Alex Khatilov, a former employee of the company, had allegedly stolen tens of thousands of confidential files from Tesla within three days of joining the company.

He "brazenly stole thousands of trade computer scripts that took Tesla years to develop" and transferred them to his personal Dropbox account, as per Musk's company.

Also read|<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/elon-musk-offers-100-million-to-develop-a-technology-on-twitter-358446">&nbsp;Elon Musk offers $100 million to develop a technology on Twitter</a>

However, Khatilov has denied these accusations and has claimed he was only transferring "a couple of personal administrative documents". The company's security team claims he was trying to delete the evidence.

Khatilov said he was trying to make a backup of his folder on his computer and ended up copying the software files by mistake.

Tesla, on the other hand, is not believing their former employee's defense. The company said the stolen files represent "200 man-years of work" and are "a roadmap to copy Tesla's innovation", making these documents extremely important for the company and their competitors.

Also read|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/tweet-meet-elon-musk-suggests-road-tunnels-for-green-earth-miami-mayor-agrees-358418">Tweet meet: Elon Musk suggests road tunnels for green Earth; Miami Mayor agrees</a>

Khatilov is one of the 40 employees — out of nearly 50,000 — to have access to these highly confidential scripts. However, the company also said that they had "nothing to do with his responsibilities".

The theft was discovered by Tesla's security team on January 06 and was confronted by the team through a video call as he was working from home after joining the company on December 28.

Tesla also claimed that Khatilov had delayed sharing his screen during the video call and also "he could be seen on video chat hurriedly deleting information from his computer."

The former employee has denied this being a&nbsp;deliberate action and said, "When it happened, I was shocked. I didn't lie (about) anything"

A software engineer has been sued by the Elon Musk-owned automobiles company, Tesla, for allegedly stealing 26,000 confidential files. Alex Khatilov, a former employee of the company, had allegedly stolen tens of thousands of confidential files from Tesla within three days of joining the company.

A software engineer has been sued by the Elon Musk-owned automobiles company, Tesla, for allegedly stealing 26,000 confidential files. Alex Khatilov, a former employee of the company, had allegedly stolen tens of thousands of confidential files from Tesla within three days of joining the company. He "brazenly stole thousands of trade computer scripts that took Tesla years to develop" and transferred them to his personal Dropbox account, as per Musk's company. Also read| Elon Musk offers $100 million to develop a technology on Twitter However, Khatilov has denied these accusations and has claimed he was only transferring "a couple of personal administrative documents". The company's security team claims he was trying to delete the evidence. Khatilov said he was trying to make a backup of his folder on his computer and ended up copying the software files by mistake. Tesla, on the other hand, is not believing their former employee's defense. The company said the stolen files represent "200 man-years of work" and are "a roadmap to copy Tesla's innovation", making these documents extremely important for the company and their competitors. Also read| Tweet meet: Elon Musk suggests road tunnels for green Earth; Miami Mayor agrees Khatilov is one of the 40 employees — out of nearly 50,000 — to have access to these highly confidential scripts. However, the company also said that they had "nothing to do with his responsibilities". The theft was discovered by Tesla's security team on January 06 and was confronted by the team through a video call as he was working from home after joining the company on December 28. Tesla also claimed that Khatilov had delayed sharing his screen during the video call and also "he could be seen on video chat hurriedly deleting information from his computer." The former employee has denied this being a deliberate action and said, "When it happened, I was shocked. I didn't lie (about) anything"

Elon Musk's Tesla sues former employee for stealing 26,000 confidential files

A video game creator came up with a quirky way to catch Elon Musk’s attention on Twitter - by reminding him everyday. But after 154 attempts, his efforts paid off.

He did not only receive a response from Elon Musk, but also a green light for the video game he’s working on. 
 
Lyubomir Vladimirov, an independent game developer wanted to develop a game inspired by SpaceX - using Tesla cars, and the aesthetic of their satellites.

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Dear Elon, 
I'm a game dev. and I am making a game about colonizing Mars with you and SpaceX in it. If you think it's cool, all I need is the "Go ahead" to use your name and Logos. 
 
I will post this every day for a year or until I get a Yes or a No! 
154 / 365
— Lyubomir Vladimirov (@lvladimirovBG) <a href="https://twitter.com/lvladimirovBG/status/1349129814628773888?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 12, 2021</a></blockquote>
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However, getting such permissions require time, and paperwork. He skipped through that step by reaching out to Musk on Twitter. To everyone’s surprise, Musk responded to the developer, and gave him the affirmation he needed, saying that “we probably won’t sue you”.

Vladimirov had promised to publish the same tweet everyday for 365 days, till he got Musk’s attention. 
 
This is what the developer’s tweet said - “Dear Elon. I am a game developer and I am making a game about the colonization of Mars with you and SpaceX. If you think it's cool, all I need is a 'go ahead' to use your name and logos. I will post this every day for a year or until I get a 'yes' or a 'no'. 154/365 ”.

He continued to tweet the same everyday for 154 days, and now he can rest easy.

Musk responded to him with the following -&nbsp; "You can steal our name / logos and we probably won't sue you”.

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You can steal our name/logos &amp; we probably won’t sue you
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) <a href="https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1349265937392930816?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 13, 2021</a></blockquote>
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Soon after finding out that he received the permission, the developer promised to give a major part of the game’s profits to SpaceX. 
 
“I want to give 80% of the profits from the game to SpaceX. In that way, the game will not only serve the important purpose of entertaining people and arousing their interest in Mars, but will also help Elon Musk and SpaceX to achieve this”, his tweet said.

While waiting for Musk’s green signal, Vladimirov continued to work on the game, the preview of which can be watched below.

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Btw it doesn't always go as planned :D 
I recorded in full screen for better quality of the fail. 
More fails coming soon :D <a href="https://t.co/0H4UdkC96e">pic.twitter.com/0H4UdkC96e</a>
— Lyubomir Vladimirov (@lvladimirovBG) <a href="https://twitter.com/lvladimirovBG/status/1350664213904154625?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 17, 2021</a></blockquote>
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&nbsp;

A video game creator came up with a quirky way to catch Elon Musk’s attention on Twitter - by reminding him everyday. But after 154 attempts, his efforts paid off.

A video game creator came up with a quirky way to catch Elon Musk’s attention on Twitter - by reminding him everyday. But after 154 attempts, his efforts paid off. He did not only receive a response from Elon Musk, but also a green light for the video game he’s working on. Lyubomir Vladimirov, an independent game developer wanted to develop a game inspired by SpaceX - using Tesla cars, and the aesthetic of their satellites. Dear Elon, I'm a game dev. and I am making a game about colonizing Mars with you and SpaceX in it. If you think it's cool, all I need is the "Go ahead" to use your name and Logos. I will post this every day for a year or until I get a Yes or a No! 154 / 365 — Lyubomir Vladimirov (@lvladimirovBG) January 12, 2021 × However, getting such permissions require time, and paperwork. He skipped through that step by reaching out to Musk on Twitter. To everyone’s surprise, Musk responded to the developer, and gave him the affirmation he needed, saying that “we probably won’t sue you”. Vladimirov had promised to publish the same tweet everyday for 365 days, till he got Musk’s attention. This is what the developer’s tweet said - “Dear Elon. I am a game developer and I am making a game about the colonization of Mars with you and SpaceX. If you think it's cool, all I need is a 'go ahead' to use your name and logos. I will post this every day for a year or until I get a 'yes' or a 'no'. 154/365 ”. He continued to tweet the same everyday for 154 days, and now he can rest easy. Musk responded to him with the following - "You can steal our name / logos and we probably won't sue you”. You can steal our name/logos & we probably won’t sue you — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 13, 2021 × Soon after finding out that he received the permission, the developer promised to give a major part of the game’s profits to SpaceX. “I want to give 80% of the profits from the game to SpaceX. In that way, the game will not only serve the important purpose of entertaining people and arousing their interest in Mars, but will also help Elon Musk and SpaceX to achieve this”, his tweet said. While waiting for Musk’s green signal, Vladimirov continued to work on the game, the preview of which can be watched below. Btw it doesn't always go as planned :D I recorded in full screen for better quality of the fail. More fails coming soon :D pic.twitter.com/0H4UdkC96e — Lyubomir Vladimirov (@lvladimirovBG) January 17, 2021 ×

Elon Musk responds to game developer who prodded him with the same Tweet for 22 weeks

Electric car maker Tesla is making news every day. The U.S. carmaker has now been asked by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to recall 158,000 vehicles for touchscreen failures.

World Business Watch: U.S. asks Tesla to recall 158,000 vehicles for touchscreen failures

Electric car maker Tesla is finally set to make its entry in India and has registered as a company in Karnataka's Bengaluru.

World Business Watch: Tesla marks India entry with new office in Bengaluru

Elon Musk-led Tesla has registered a subsidiary company in Bengaluru as it prepares to create a much-awaited manufacturing plant and R&amp;D unit in India. 
 
<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/elon-musk-asks-people-to-use-signal-app-instead-of-whatsapp-and-facebook-over-privacy-issues-355704">Also read | Elon Musk asks people to use Signal app instead of WhatsApp and Facebook over privacy issues</a> 
 
The company, registered as Tesla Motors India &amp; Energy Pvt Ltd, has named three directors as part of its team in the country, Vaibhav Taneja, Venkatrangam Sreeram and David Jon Feinstein.

It is a private unlisted company with an authorized capital of Rs 15,00,000 and a paid-up capital of Rs 1,00,000.

This announcement officially marks Tesla’s India entry in the state of Karnataka. It would be interesting to see if the company would set-up its manufacturing base in Karnataka, or will continue to keep up the suspense and be wooed away by some other state.

Elon Musk, who recently became the wealthiest individual in the world overtaking Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, also enjoys a cult-figure like status in India as he does abroad which has added to the growing demand for Tesla and its products.

India’s transport minister Nitin Gadkari told a local newspaper in December the US electric carmaker would start with sales and then might look at assembly and manufacturing.

Tesla chief executive Elon Musk has tweeted several times in recent years, including as recently as October 2020, about an impending foray into India.

The move comes as Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is promoting the production and use of electric vehicles to reduce the country’s oil dependence and cut down on pollution.

(With inputs from agencies)

Elon Musk-led Tesla has registered a subsidiary company in Bengaluru as it prepares to create a much-awaited manufacturing plant and R&D unit in India. Also read | Elon Musk asks people to use Signal app instead of WhatsApp and Facebook over privacy issues The company, registered as Tesla Motors India & Energy Pvt Ltd, has named three directors as part of its team in the country, Vaibhav Taneja, Venkatrangam Sreeram and David Jon Feinstein.

Elon Musk-led Tesla has registered a subsidiary company in Bengaluru as it prepares to create a much-awaited manufacturing plant and R&D unit in India. Also read | Elon Musk asks people to use Signal app instead of WhatsApp and Facebook over privacy issues The company, registered as Tesla Motors India & Energy Pvt Ltd, has named three directors as part of its team in the country, Vaibhav Taneja, Venkatrangam Sreeram and David Jon Feinstein. It is a private unlisted company with an authorized capital of Rs 15,00,000 and a paid-up capital of Rs 1,00,000. This announcement officially marks Tesla’s India entry in the state of Karnataka. It would be interesting to see if the company would set-up its manufacturing base in Karnataka, or will continue to keep up the suspense and be wooed away by some other state. Elon Musk, who recently became the wealthiest individual in the world overtaking Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, also enjoys a cult-figure like status in India as he does abroad which has added to the growing demand for Tesla and its products. India’s transport minister Nitin Gadkari told a local newspaper in December the US electric carmaker would start with sales and then might look at assembly and manufacturing. Tesla chief executive Elon Musk has tweeted several times in recent years, including as recently as October 2020, about an impending foray into India. The move comes as Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is promoting the production and use of electric vehicles to reduce the country’s oil dependence and cut down on pollution. (With inputs from agencies)

Elon Musk's Tesla registers India office in Bengaluru, to start operations with R&D unit

Tesla Inc is searching for a design director in China, part of efforts to open a "full-function" studio in Shanghai or Beijing and design electric cars tailored to Chinese consumer tastes, according to three people with knowledge of the matter.

The U.S. carmaker`s human resources managers, as well as several headhunters, have been trawling the industry over the past four months, the sources said.

They are looking for "bi-cultural" candidates with 20 or more years of experience who are familiar with Chinese tastes and can bridge the gaps between China and the United States, they added.

Some candidates have been interviewed by Tesla`s global design chief Franz von Holzhausen, according to the people, though it was not clear how many potential candidates had been approached by the company and recruiters.

All three sources spoke to Reuters on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity and confidential nature of the matter.

Tesla and von Holzhausen did not respond to emailed requests for comment.

China is the world`s biggest auto market, plus the largest for all-electric vehicles with sales volumes expected to reach roughly 1.5 million vehicles there this year, according to consultancy LMC Automotive. It is also Tesla`s No.2 market after the United States.

The carmaker`s plans for the design studio are not fully developed, and the sources believe Tesla will likely wait for more clarity on strained U.S.-China relations under a new U.S. president before making a final decision on the move and all its details.

The talent search, which the sources said was mainly focused within China, fits with comments from Tesla boss Elon Musk early last year.

"I think something that would be super cool would be ... to create a China design and engineering centre to actually design an original car in China for worldwide consumption. I think this would be very exciting," he said at a media event in Shanghai.

FLURRY OF ACTIVITY

Musk`s interest in developing cars in China is part of a broader push by Tesla to boost the company`s global sales volume well past the 500,000-vehicle-a-year mark, which it came just 450 short of hitting in 2020.

All three sources said Tesla`s search for a China studio director began around September, and that there was a flurry of activity as recently as December when a number of headhunters used LinkedIn and other means to approach candidates.&nbsp;

One of the sources, who has knowledge of Tesla`s headhunting activities in China, said that once a design director was hired, Tesla would recruit the director`s team which would likely be around 20-strong and include designers plus modellers who help turn design renderings into clay models.

All the sources said the planned centre aimed to be a comprehensive design outfit, with one describing it as a "full-function studio", which would not only help conceptualize the design of a car but also come up with the final shape – digital three-dimensional data - of a model.

The data could then be handed over to Tesla`s vehicle engineers, who are mostly based in northern California.

Two of the sources said Tesla`s China studio would likely also carry out research on Chinese consumer tastes, as well as work for cars expected to be produced at Tesla`s vehicle assembly plant in Shanghai, where designs are tweaked to make sure specific components fit within engineers` specifications.

"They want to give vehicle design a lot more bias toward China; they have already done a lot here, setting up a major manufacturing site and having sold a ton of EVs, but it seems Tesla`s ready to put roots down," said one of the sources.

This push might lead to a more independent Tesla China, added the person, who has spent more than a decade in the country working at design centres run by global automakers, among other places.

Chinese consumers bought around 145,000 Tesla vehicles last year, accounting for roughly a third of the company`s overall global volumes, LMC said.

$25,000 ELECTRIC CAR

Two of the sources said one likely "China-specific" model was a lower-cost volume generator such as a $25,000 electric car that Musk referred to at a Battery Day event in September, which he said Tesla might aim to bring to market in about three years.

Musk said Tesla was confident it would be able to hit the market with "a very compelling $25,000 electric vehicle that`s also fully autonomous".

At that price, according to two of the sources as well as industry experts, it was likely to be a compact car, smaller than Tesla`s Model 3, which would be as affordable as some mainstream gasoline-fueled vehicles.

Compact cars are not big sellers in the United States where bigger, taller vehicles such as Ford`s F-150 pickup truck and SUVs, as well as midsize sedans, rule the road.

They account for about 10% of America`s overall vehicle market. By contrast, compacts make up 25% of sales in China, or around 5-6 million cars a year, according to consultancy LMC Automotive.

That`s why the planned $25,000 car Musk has discussed would be better suited to the China marketplace, according to the two sources and industry experts.

"A compact Tesla car would do well in China, as well as the rest of Asia and Europe," said Yale Zhang, head of Shanghai-based consultancy Automotive Foresight. "It could potentially put a serious dent in sales of cars like Toyota`s Corolla and the Volkswagen Golf."

Tesla Inc is searching for a design director in China, part of efforts to open a "full-function" studio in Shanghai or Beijing and design electric cars tailored to Chinese consumer tastes, according to three people with knowledge of the matter.

Tesla Inc is searching for a design director in China, part of efforts to open a "full-function" studio in Shanghai or Beijing and design electric cars tailored to Chinese consumer tastes, according to three people with knowledge of the matter. The U.S. carmaker`s human resources managers, as well as several headhunters, have been trawling the industry over the past four months, the sources said. They are looking for "bi-cultural" candidates with 20 or more years of experience who are familiar with Chinese tastes and can bridge the gaps between China and the United States, they added. Some candidates have been interviewed by Tesla`s global design chief Franz von Holzhausen, according to the people, though it was not clear how many potential candidates had been approached by the company and recruiters. All three sources spoke to Reuters on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity and confidential nature of the matter. Tesla and von Holzhausen did not respond to emailed requests for comment. China is the world`s biggest auto market, plus the largest for all-electric vehicles with sales volumes expected to reach roughly 1.5 million vehicles there this year, according to consultancy LMC Automotive. It is also Tesla`s No.2 market after the United States. The carmaker`s plans for the design studio are not fully developed, and the sources believe Tesla will likely wait for more clarity on strained U.S.-China relations under a new U.S. president before making a final decision on the move and all its details. The talent search, which the sources said was mainly focused within China, fits with comments from Tesla boss Elon Musk early last year. "I think something that would be super cool would be ... to create a China design and engineering centre to actually design an original car in China for worldwide consumption. I think this would be very exciting," he said at a media event in Shanghai. FLURRY OF ACTIVITY Musk`s interest in developing cars in China is part of a broader push by Tesla to boost the company`s global sales volume well past the 500,000-vehicle-a-year mark, which it came just 450 short of hitting in 2020. All three sources said Tesla`s search for a China studio director began around September, and that there was a flurry of activity as recently as December when a number of headhunters used LinkedIn and other means to approach candidates. One of the sources, who has knowledge of Tesla`s headhunting activities in China, said that once a design director was hired, Tesla would recruit the director`s team which would likely be around 20-strong and include designers plus modellers who help turn design renderings into clay models. All the sources said the planned centre aimed to be a comprehensive design outfit, with one describing it as a "full-function studio", which would not only help conceptualize the design of a car but also come up with the final shape – digital three-dimensional data - of a model. The data could then be handed over to Tesla`s vehicle engineers, who are mostly based in northern California. Two of the sources said Tesla`s China studio would likely also carry out research on Chinese consumer tastes, as well as work for cars expected to be produced at Tesla`s vehicle assembly plant in Shanghai, where designs are tweaked to make sure specific components fit within engineers` specifications. "They want to give vehicle design a lot more bias toward China; they have already done a lot here, setting up a major manufacturing site and having sold a ton of EVs, but it seems Tesla`s ready to put roots down," said one of the sources. This push might lead to a more independent Tesla China, added the person, who has spent more than a decade in the country working at design centres run by global automakers, among other places. Chinese consumers bought around 145,000 Tesla vehicles last year, accounting for roughly a third of the company`s overall global volumes, LMC said. $25,000 ELECTRIC CAR Two of the sources said one likely "China-specific" model was a lower-cost volume generator such as a $25,000 electric car that Musk referred to at a Battery Day event in September, which he said Tesla might aim to bring to market in about three years. Musk said Tesla was confident it would be able to hit the market with "a very compelling $25,000 electric vehicle that`s also fully autonomous". At that price, according to two of the sources as well as industry experts, it was likely to be a compact car, smaller than Tesla`s Model 3, which would be as affordable as some mainstream gasoline-fueled vehicles. Compact cars are not big sellers in the United States where bigger, taller vehicles such as Ford`s F-150 pickup truck and SUVs, as well as midsize sedans, rule the road. They account for about 10% of America`s overall vehicle market. By contrast, compacts make up 25% of sales in China, or around 5-6 million cars a year, according to consultancy LMC Automotive. That`s why the planned $25,000 car Musk has discussed would be better suited to the China marketplace, according to the two sources and industry experts. "A compact Tesla car would do well in China, as well as the rest of Asia and Europe," said Yale Zhang, head of Shanghai-based consultancy Automotive Foresight. "It could potentially put a serious dent in sales of cars like Toyota`s Corolla and the Volkswagen Golf."

Tesla hunts for design chief to create cars for China

As part of efforts to open a full-function studio in Shanghai or Beijing and design electric cars tailored to Chinese consumer tastes, Tesla electric car maker is searching for a design director in China.

World Business Watch: Tesla hunts for design chief to create cars for China

Elon musk has become the world's richest person with a net worth of 188.5 billion dollars. This 49-year-old billionaire is making inroads into every sector.&nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
The Tesla chief has surpassed Amazon's top boss -- Jeff Bezos -- to clinch this title. He now has a net worth of more than 188.5 billion dollars. This is more 1.5 billion dollars more than Jeff Bezos.

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Much of the credit goes to an 8-fold surge in the shares of Tesla last year. In 2020, Tesla became the world's most valuable carmaker. The surge has boosted the personal wealth of Elon Musk --- who owns a 20 per cent stake in his company and about 42 billion dollars of unrealised paper gains on vested stocks.

According to Bloomberg, Tesla shares went further up to 7.4 per cent on Thursday to reach a record high of 811 billion dollars. But Tesla accounts for only a fraction of Elon Musk's wealth. The 49-year-old billionaire owns and is developing some of the most futuristic companies in the world that will further increase his wealth.

In the Aerospace, sector Musk owns Space X &nbsp;a rocket company that is planning to build a 'freeway' to Mars -- by reducing the cost of flying a spaceship to a fraction.

In the telecommunication sector --- musk is developing a satellite internet constellation known as Starlink --- this is how people got online and provide fast &amp; affordable internet.

In the energy sector --- Musk owns 'SolarCity'' &nbsp;---- a project that will make solar power mainstream and pervasive.

In the transportation sector --- musk has proposed the 'hyperloop' --- the fifth mode of transportation that could convey people or objects at hypersonic speeds.

In the infrastructure sector --- musk owns 'the boring company' --- which aims to develop safe -- fast to dig &amp; low-cost transportation tunnels.

In the healthcare sector ---- musk owns neura-link ---- which is developing high bandwidth brain-machine interfaces --- that will link the human brain directly to computers.

Elon musk has become the world's richest person with a net worth of 188.5 billion dollars. This 49-year-old billionaire is making inroads into every sector. The Tesla chief has surpassed Amazon's top boss -- Jeff Bezos -- to clinch this title.

Elon musk has become the world's richest person with a net worth of 188.5 billion dollars. This 49-year-old billionaire is making inroads into every sector. The Tesla chief has surpassed Amazon's top boss -- Jeff Bezos -- to clinch this title. He now has a net worth of more than 188.5 billion dollars. This is more 1.5 billion dollars more than Jeff Bezos. Much of the credit goes to an 8-fold surge in the shares of Tesla last year. In 2020, Tesla became the world's most valuable carmaker. The surge has boosted the personal wealth of Elon Musk --- who owns a 20 per cent stake in his company and about 42 billion dollars of unrealised paper gains on vested stocks. According to Bloomberg, Tesla shares went further up to 7.4 per cent on Thursday to reach a record high of 811 billion dollars. But Tesla accounts for only a fraction of Elon Musk's wealth. The 49-year-old billionaire owns and is developing some of the most futuristic companies in the world that will further increase his wealth. In the Aerospace, sector Musk owns Space X a rocket company that is planning to build a 'freeway' to Mars -- by reducing the cost of flying a spaceship to a fraction. In the telecommunication sector --- musk is developing a satellite internet constellation known as Starlink --- this is how people got online and provide fast & affordable internet. In the energy sector --- Musk owns 'SolarCity'' ---- a project that will make solar power mainstream and pervasive. In the transportation sector --- musk has proposed the 'hyperloop' --- the fifth mode of transportation that could convey people or objects at hypersonic speeds. In the infrastructure sector --- musk owns 'the boring company' --- which aims to develop safe -- fast to dig & low-cost transportation tunnels. In the healthcare sector ---- musk owns neura-link ---- which is developing high bandwidth brain-machine interfaces --- that will link the human brain directly to computers.

Tesla chief Elon Musk dethrones Jeff Bezos to become world's richest person

A few hours after Tesla Inc. owner, Elon Musk was declared as the richest man, the main brain of SpaceX&nbsp;took to Twitter to share his thoughts on it, and his reaction&nbsp;was simply 'strange'.

Musk surpassed Amazon's owner Jeff Bezos in the&nbsp;Bloomberg Billionaires Index and was declared the richest man on this planet after a 4.8 per cent&nbsp;rally in the electric carmaker, Tesla's share price.

Also read|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/business-economy/elon-musk-becomes-worlds-richest-person-reports-355216">Elon Musk becomes world's richest person: Reports</a>

However, Musk did not find it very interesting and was eager to get back to work, with a pending launch in SpaceX. Replying to a tweet stating the news, Musk said, "How strange" and followed it with "Well, back to work …"

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How strange
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) <a href="https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1347204459147902978?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 7, 2021</a></blockquote>
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Well, back to work …
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) <a href="https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1347204606414131200?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 7, 2021</a></blockquote>
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Musk's net wealth is now estimated to be&nbsp;$185 billion by CNBC. Since the announcement, Muska has also changed his pinned tweet to stress on the importance of the utilisation of his wealth. "About half my money is intended to help problems on Earth &amp; half to help establish a self-sustaining city on Mars to ensure continuation of life (of all species) in case Earth gets hit by a meteor like the dinosaurs or WW3 happens &amp; we destroy ourselves," the pinned tweet reads.

"Tesla's performance in 2020 was impressive, but not as impressive as the increase in its shares, which we continue to believe are overvalued," said a note earlier this week from JPMorgan Chase, which has an "underweight" on the equity.

Shares of Tesla surged 6.3 per cent to $803.78 in late morning trading, lifting the company's market capitalization above $750 billion. Musk, the owner of the company, holds nearly 21 per cent of Tesla's shares.

(With inputs from agencies)

A few hours after Tesla Inc. owner, Elon Musk was declared as the richest man, the main brain of SpaceX took to Twitter to share his thoughts on it, and his reaction was simply 'strange'.

A few hours after Tesla Inc. owner, Elon Musk was declared as the richest man, the main brain of SpaceX took to Twitter to share his thoughts on it, and his reaction was simply 'strange'. Musk surpassed Amazon's owner Jeff Bezos in the Bloomberg Billionaires Index and was declared the richest man on this planet after a 4.8 per cent rally in the electric carmaker, Tesla's share price. Also read| Elon Musk becomes world's richest person: Reports However, Musk did not find it very interesting and was eager to get back to work, with a pending launch in SpaceX. Replying to a tweet stating the news, Musk said, "How strange" and followed it with "Well, back to work …" How strange — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 7, 2021 × Well, back to work … — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 7, 2021 × Musk's net wealth is now estimated to be $185 billion by CNBC. Since the announcement, Muska has also changed his pinned tweet to stress on the importance of the utilisation of his wealth. "About half my money is intended to help problems on Earth & half to help establish a self-sustaining city on Mars to ensure continuation of life (of all species) in case Earth gets hit by a meteor like the dinosaurs or WW3 happens & we destroy ourselves," the pinned tweet reads. "Tesla's performance in 2020 was impressive, but not as impressive as the increase in its shares, which we continue to believe are overvalued," said a note earlier this week from JPMorgan Chase, which has an "underweight" on the equity. Shares of Tesla surged 6.3 per cent to $803.78 in late morning trading, lifting the company's market capitalization above $750 billion. Musk, the owner of the company, holds nearly 21 per cent of Tesla's shares. (With inputs from agencies)

Elon Musk's 'strange' reaction on becoming world's richest person

Tesla Inc chief and billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk surpassed Amazon.com Inc's top boss Jeff Bezos to become the world's richest man, Bloomberg News reported on Thursday.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk leaves behind Amazon's Bezos to become world's richest person

Shares of Tesla surged to a record high in heavy trading on Thursday, with the electric car maker's stock market value exceeding Facebook's for the first time.

Shares in the company led by Elon Musk jumped nearly 8% to end the session at $816, putting its market capitalization at $774 billion and making it Wall Street's fifth-most-valuable company, just behind Google-parent Alphabet and ahead of Facebook.

Facebook's stock market value was $765 billion after its shares rose about 2%, according to Refinitiv data.

Over $39 billion worth of Tesla's shares were bought and sold during the session, a record for Tesla and more than the next three most traded companies combined, which were Apple, Alibaba Group Holding and Amazon.com.

Also read|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/elon-musks-strange-reaction-on-becoming-worlds-richest-person-355307">Elon Musk's 'strange' reaction on becoming world's richest person</a>

Tesla, up over 700% in the past 12 months, has become the most valuable auto company in the world by far, despite production that is a fraction of rivals such as Toyota Motor, Volkswagen and General Motors.

Musk surpassed Amazon's Jeff Bezos to become the world's richest person, Bloomberg News reported on Thursday.

Tesla's latest lift came after RBC raised its rating on the stock to "sector perform" from "underperform."

RBC analyst Joseph Spak said in his research note that he previously underestimated Tesla's ability to use its soaring stock price to raise capital to fund the company's expansion.

"We took a fresh look at the growth opportunity, what we got wrong about TSLA's positioning and the valuation and conclude that the stock price itself is likely to be somewhat self-fulfilling to TSLA's growth and strategy," Spak wrote.

Analysts, on average, expect Tesla to report $1.2 billion in net profits for 2020, compared with $5.8 billion in net profits expected from GM and $27.1 billion in net profits expected from Facebook, according to Refinitiv.

Shares of Tesla surged to a record high in heavy trading on Thursday, with the electric car maker's stock market value exceeding Facebook's for the first time. Shares in the company led by Elon Musk jumped nearly 8% to end the session at $816, putting its market capitalization at $774 billion and making it Wall Street's fifth-most-valuable company, just behind Google-parent Alphabet and ahead of Facebook.

Shares of Tesla surged to a record high in heavy trading on Thursday, with the electric car maker's stock market value exceeding Facebook's for the first time. Shares in the company led by Elon Musk jumped nearly 8% to end the session at $816, putting its market capitalization at $774 billion and making it Wall Street's fifth-most-valuable company, just behind Google-parent Alphabet and ahead of Facebook. Facebook's stock market value was $765 billion after its shares rose about 2%, according to Refinitiv data. Over $39 billion worth of Tesla's shares were bought and sold during the session, a record for Tesla and more than the next three most traded companies combined, which were Apple, Alibaba Group Holding and Amazon.com. Also read| Elon Musk's 'strange' reaction on becoming world's richest person Tesla, up over 700% in the past 12 months, has become the most valuable auto company in the world by far, despite production that is a fraction of rivals such as Toyota Motor, Volkswagen and General Motors. Musk surpassed Amazon's Jeff Bezos to become the world's richest person, Bloomberg News reported on Thursday. Tesla's latest lift came after RBC raised its rating on the stock to "sector perform" from "underperform." RBC analyst Joseph Spak said in his research note that he previously underestimated Tesla's ability to use its soaring stock price to raise capital to fund the company's expansion. "We took a fresh look at the growth opportunity, what we got wrong about TSLA's positioning and the valuation and conclude that the stock price itself is likely to be somewhat self-fulfilling to TSLA's growth and strategy," Spak wrote. Analysts, on average, expect Tesla to report $1.2 billion in net profits for 2020, compared with $5.8 billion in net profits expected from GM and $27.1 billion in net profits expected from Facebook, according to Refinitiv.

Tesla's stock market value tops Facebook's in huge trading

Electric vehicle-maker&nbsp;Tesla CEO Elon Musk said the company fell just shy of delivering its global target of half a million vehicles after the company's lone US plant was&nbsp;shut down due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The Silicon Valley carmaker said it had&nbsp;delivered 499,550 vehicles during 2020, above Wall Street estimates of 481,261 vehicles, according to Refinitiv data,&nbsp;but 450 units shy of Musk's target.

Musk shared a post on social networking platform Twitter saying&nbsp;"At the start of&nbsp;Tesla, I thought we had (optimistically) a 10 per cent&nbsp;chance of surviving at all."

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So proud of the Tesla team for achieving this major milestone! At the start of Tesla, I thought we had (optimistically) a 10% chance of surviving at all. <a href="https://t.co/xCqTL5TGlE">https://t.co/xCqTL5TGlE</a>
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) <a href="https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1345382294966571008?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 2, 2021</a></blockquote>
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Tesla's entry-level Model 3 and its crossover Model Y accounted for nearly 86 percent of deliveries, with the balance split between the luxury Model S sedan and the Model X SUV.

Tesla's previous record was 139,300 vehicles delivered in the third quarter of 2020.

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On Twitter, congratulations from supporters and bullish investors poured in, lauding the electric vehicle maker for its stellar year, which has defied wider auto industry trends of slumping sales, quarterly losses and global supply chain disruptions.

Tesla's share price has risen more than 700 per cent&nbsp;over the last year, the company has reported five consecutive quarterly profits and in December it was included in the S&amp;P 500 index.

But some online investor accounts criticised&nbsp;Tesla&nbsp;for saying it had achieved its guidance.

Tesla&nbsp;at the start of 2020 said it would "comfortably exceed 500,000 units" for the year, a target it has left unchanged despite the pandemic. Chief Financial Officer Zachary Kirkhorn in October said&nbsp;Tesla&nbsp;was "aiming to achieve (its) original 2020 guidance."

Tesla&nbsp;has pinned hopes on new markets such as Europe and Asia, with competition intensifying in its home turf as legacy automakers double down on their investments in the booming EV space.

Tesla's delivery push has been supported by its new <a href="https://ir.tesla.com/press-release/tesla-q4-2020-vehicle-production-deliveries">Shanghai</a> factory, the only plant currently producing vehicles outside California. The carmaker said Model Y production in Shanghai has begun, with deliveries expected shortly.

Palo Alto, California-based&nbsp;Tesla&nbsp;said it delivered 180,570 vehicles during the fourth quarter, a quarterly record for the electric carmaker, beating estimates of 163,628 vehicles.

Tesla has long aimed to manufacture electric cars for the masses and in September Musk, the world's second richest person, said developments in battery technology meant the firm was looking at fielding a $25,000 model in around three years' time.

Though its car production is modest compared with rivals, Tesla's growth prospects have spurred investors to push up its value so that it is now worth more than General Motors, Ford, Toyota, Honda, Fiat Chrysler and Volkswagen combined.&nbsp;

Electric vehicle-maker Tesla CEO Elon Musk said the company fell just shy of delivering its global target of half a million vehicles after the company's lone US plant was shut down due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Electric vehicle-maker Tesla CEO Elon Musk said the company fell just shy of delivering its global target of half a million vehicles after the company's lone US plant was shut down due to the coronavirus pandemic. The Silicon Valley carmaker said it had delivered 499,550 vehicles during 2020, above Wall Street estimates of 481,261 vehicles, according to Refinitiv data, but 450 units shy of Musk's target. Musk shared a post on social networking platform Twitter saying "At the start of Tesla, I thought we had (optimistically) a 10 per cent chance of surviving at all." So proud of the Tesla team for achieving this major milestone! At the start of Tesla, I thought we had (optimistically) a 10% chance of surviving at all. https://t.co/xCqTL5TGlE — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 2, 2021 × Tesla's entry-level Model 3 and its crossover Model Y accounted for nearly 86 percent of deliveries, with the balance split between the luxury Model S sedan and the Model X SUV. Tesla's previous record was 139,300 vehicles delivered in the third quarter of 2020. On Twitter, congratulations from supporters and bullish investors poured in, lauding the electric vehicle maker for its stellar year, which has defied wider auto industry trends of slumping sales, quarterly losses and global supply chain disruptions. Tesla's share price has risen more than 700 per cent over the last year, the company has reported five consecutive quarterly profits and in December it was included in the S&P 500 index. But some online investor accounts criticised Tesla for saying it had achieved its guidance. Tesla at the start of 2020 said it would "comfortably exceed 500,000 units" for the year, a target it has left unchanged despite the pandemic. Chief Financial Officer Zachary Kirkhorn in October said Tesla was "aiming to achieve (its) original 2020 guidance." Tesla has pinned hopes on new markets such as Europe and Asia, with competition intensifying in its home turf as legacy automakers double down on their investments in the booming EV space. Tesla's delivery push has been supported by its new Shanghai factory, the only plant currently producing vehicles outside California. The carmaker said Model Y production in Shanghai has begun, with deliveries expected shortly. Palo Alto, California-based Tesla said it delivered 180,570 vehicles during the fourth quarter, a quarterly record for the electric carmaker, beating estimates of 163,628 vehicles. Tesla has long aimed to manufacture electric cars for the masses and in September Musk, the world's second richest person, said developments in battery technology meant the firm was looking at fielding a $25,000 model in around three years' time. Though its car production is modest compared with rivals, Tesla's growth prospects have spurred investors to push up its value so that it is now worth more than General Motors, Ford, Toyota, Honda, Fiat Chrysler and Volkswagen combined.

'Just shy of target': Elon Musk steers Tesla to record deliveries

Tesla Inc on Saturday reported better-than-expected 2020 vehicle deliveries, driven by a steady rise in electric vehicle adoption, but narrowly missed its ambitious full-year goal during a punishing year for the global auto industry.

Tesla 2020 deliveries beat estimates, but fall just short of Musk's target

Union Minister for Road Transport and&nbsp;Highways Nitin Gadkari on Monday confirmed that&nbsp;American electric vehicle company Tesla will begin its operations in India in early 2021.

Gadkari said that Elon Musk-led Tesla will initially begin with sales and perhaps venture towards assembly, sales, and manufacturing.

The confirmation comes after a report by ET&nbsp;Auto claimed&nbsp;that Tesla will launch Model 3 in India in June 2021&nbsp;and the bookings for the same will begin from next month. It also said that the company will start deliveries from the end of the first quarter of 2021-22.

“India is going to become a number 1 manufacturing hub for auto in five years,” Gadkari said in a recent interview with 'The Indian Express'&nbsp;

Gadkari, who has been pushing the use of electric cars in India, also added that some companies are working on indigenously producing affordable cars in electric variants although they are not as advanced as Tesla.

In October, Tesla CEO Elon Musk had recommended that the organization will come to India in 2021 while reacting to a tweet from India. "One year from now without a doubt," Musk had answered when a handle called Tesla Club India checked with him about the organization's advancement in India.&nbsp;

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Next year for sure
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) <a href="https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1311931936261263360?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 2, 2020</a></blockquote>
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In 2016, Tesla has gathered $1000 store from intrigued purchasers with regards to India. Be that as it may, those shoppers are as yet hanging tight for their vehicles and some of them had told indianexpress.com they felt let somewhere near the organization.&nbsp;

In 2017, a year after the organization began taking appointments, Musk had said his vehicles could come to India in the late spring, yet later accused FDI standards for the delay.&nbsp;

“Maybe I’m misinformed, but I was told that 30 per cent&nbsp;of parts must be locally sourced and the supply doesn’t yet exist in India to support that,” he had tweeted.

Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari on Monday confirmed that American electric vehicle company Tesla will begin its operations in India in early 2021.

Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari on Monday confirmed that American electric vehicle company Tesla will begin its operations in India in early 2021. Gadkari said that Elon Musk-led Tesla will initially begin with sales and perhaps venture towards assembly, sales, and manufacturing. The confirmation comes after a report by ET Auto claimed that Tesla will launch Model 3 in India in June 2021 and the bookings for the same will begin from next month. It also said that the company will start deliveries from the end of the first quarter of 2021-22. “India is going to become a number 1 manufacturing hub for auto in five years,” Gadkari said in a recent interview with 'The Indian Express' Gadkari, who has been pushing the use of electric cars in India, also added that some companies are working on indigenously producing affordable cars in electric variants although they are not as advanced as Tesla. In October, Tesla CEO Elon Musk had recommended that the organization will come to India in 2021 while reacting to a tweet from India. "One year from now without a doubt," Musk had answered when a handle called Tesla Club India checked with him about the organization's advancement in India. Next year for sure — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 2, 2020 × In 2016, Tesla has gathered $1000 store from intrigued purchasers with regards to India. Be that as it may, those shoppers are as yet hanging tight for their vehicles and some of them had told indianexpress.com they felt let somewhere near the organization. In 2017, a year after the organization began taking appointments, Musk had said his vehicles could come to India in the late spring, yet later accused FDI standards for the delay. “Maybe I’m misinformed, but I was told that 30 per cent of parts must be locally sourced and the supply doesn’t yet exist in India to support that,” he had tweeted.

Tesla to start operation in India in early 2021, confirms Nitin Gadkari

Shares of Tesla ended sharply lower in their S&P 500 debut Monday, with losses accelerating after news of potential future competition from Apple.

Tesla tumbles 6.5% from record high in S&P 500 debut

A German court on Friday ruled in favour of Elon Musk’s Tesla to partially clear forested land to build a manufacturing site near Berlin.

Earlier, environmentalists had criticised the company’s plans to clear the forest, claiming that the move could endanger hibernating reptiles in the area.

Activists had gone to court in the eastern city of Frankfurt an der Oder to prevent the company from clearing the land.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="http://13.235.153.162/business-economy/tesla-teams-to-visit-indonesia-to-check-on-investment-in-ev-components-government-349271" hreflang="en">Tesla teams to visit Indonesia to check on investment in EV components-government</a>

When the case was being studied by a regional court, the razing plans remained at halt. The Berlin-Brandenburg Higher Administrative Court on Friday said that it would ban the razing of forested area by Tesla in the regions of the site, giving a nod to activists

The court added that further stoppage of razing could not be justified.&nbsp; Tesla has not addressed the ruling so far.

Essential workers

In a first, Tesla factory workers based in California will be counted as 'essential workers' and will be exempted from&nbsp;new coronavirus restrictions in the state.

The decision has been taken as the state is inching towards new coronavirus restrictions, which will be initiated from this weekend. The authorities let the Tesla workers be exempted as earlier Elon Musk had argued that manufacturing is listed as an essential workforce.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="http://13.235.153.162/world/elon-musks-diverse-tesla-employs-79-male-workforce-348088" hreflang="en">Elon Musk's 'diverse' Tesla employs 79% male workforce</a>

"The limited stay-at-home order does not apply to employees deemed essential workers — manufacturing is listed as an essential workforce," said California's Department of Public Health, specifying in particular transport products and equipment.

The exemption has been granted on the condition that Musk's factories will ensure all necessary health guidelines and will make sure the employees are provided all the basic precautions and facilities needed to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus.

A German court on Friday ruled in favour of Elon Musk’s Tesla to partially clear forested land to build a manufacturing site near Berlin. Earlier, environmentalists had criticised the company’s plans to clear the forest, claiming that the move could endanger hibernating reptiles in the area.

A German court on Friday ruled in favour of Elon Musk’s Tesla to partially clear forested land to build a manufacturing site near Berlin. Earlier, environmentalists had criticised the company’s plans to clear the forest, claiming that the move could endanger hibernating reptiles in the area. Activists had gone to court in the eastern city of Frankfurt an der Oder to prevent the company from clearing the land. Also read: Tesla teams to visit Indonesia to check on investment in EV components-government When the case was being studied by a regional court, the razing plans remained at halt. The Berlin-Brandenburg Higher Administrative Court on Friday said that it would ban the razing of forested area by Tesla in the regions of the site, giving a nod to activists The court added that further stoppage of razing could not be justified. Tesla has not addressed the ruling so far. Essential workers In a first, Tesla factory workers based in California will be counted as 'essential workers' and will be exempted from new coronavirus restrictions in the state. The decision has been taken as the state is inching towards new coronavirus restrictions, which will be initiated from this weekend. The authorities let the Tesla workers be exempted as earlier Elon Musk had argued that manufacturing is listed as an essential workforce. Also read: Elon Musk's 'diverse' Tesla employs 79% male workforce "The limited stay-at-home order does not apply to employees deemed essential workers — manufacturing is listed as an essential workforce," said California's Department of Public Health, specifying in particular transport products and equipment. The exemption has been granted on the condition that Musk's factories will ensure all necessary health guidelines and will make sure the employees are provided all the basic precautions and facilities needed to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus.

German court allows Tesla to partially clear forest for a new factory

Tesla, the U.S. automaker, will send delegations to Indonesia next month to discuss potential investment in a supply chain for its electric vehicles, the government said on Saturday in a statement.

President Joko Widodo has touted Indonesia`s nickel reserves on a number of occasions, telling Reuters last month that "it’s very important because we have a great plan to make Indonesia the biggest producer of lithium batteries and we have the biggest nickel (reserves)."

The president and Luhut Pandjaitan, the coordinating minister for maritime and investment, were on a call with Tesla CEO Elon Musk on Friday to discuss "investment opportunities from electric vehicles company Tesla in Indonesia," the ministry said.

Tesla did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.

Luhut told Reuters last month that "there is a really good chance" that companies will want to invest in Indonesian nickel processing to cut costs.

Musk has said he is planning to offer a `giant contract for a long period of time" so long as the nickel is mined “efficiently and in an environmentally sensitive way".

Indonesia is keen to develop a full supply chain for nickel at home, especially for extracting battery chemicals, making batteries and eventually building EVs.

Tesla, the U.S. automaker, will send delegations to Indonesia next month to discuss potential investment in a supply chain for its electric vehicles, the government said on Saturday in a statement.

Tesla, the U.S. automaker, will send delegations to Indonesia next month to discuss potential investment in a supply chain for its electric vehicles, the government said on Saturday in a statement. President Joko Widodo has touted Indonesia`s nickel reserves on a number of occasions, telling Reuters last month that "it’s very important because we have a great plan to make Indonesia the biggest producer of lithium batteries and we have the biggest nickel (reserves)." The president and Luhut Pandjaitan, the coordinating minister for maritime and investment, were on a call with Tesla CEO Elon Musk on Friday to discuss "investment opportunities from electric vehicles company Tesla in Indonesia," the ministry said. Tesla did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. Luhut told Reuters last month that "there is a really good chance" that companies will want to invest in Indonesian nickel processing to cut costs. Musk has said he is planning to offer a `giant contract for a long period of time" so long as the nickel is mined “efficiently and in an environmentally sensitive way". Indonesia is keen to develop a full supply chain for nickel at home, especially for extracting battery chemicals, making batteries and eventually building EVs.

Tesla teams to visit Indonesia to check on investment in EV components-government

Elon Musk's electric car company Tesla has released its first-ever diversity report titled 'Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Report', and women are majorly underrepresented in the company's US workforce.

Men represent 79 per cent of the overall workforce of the company in the US, and women make the remaining 21 per cent, the report revealed.

Also read|<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/elon-musks-tesla-factory-workers-counted-as-essential-workers-344684">&nbsp;Elon Musk's Tesla factory workers counted as 'essential workers'</a>

The figures reported by the company have come as a surprise as the company has been one of the flag bearers in promoting gender equality.&nbsp;

Women represent 21 per cent of the overall workforce and 23 per cent of the total promotions offered in the company. The figures, though not much, have seen an increase of five per cent since last year.

Tesla's leadership roles also have a majority of men population with only 17 per cent women getting the opportunity to climb the ranks.

Also read|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/elon-musk-the-extraordinary-life-of-worlds-second-richest-person-345379">Elon Musk: The extraordinary life of world's second-richest person</a>

"While women are historically underrepresented in the tech and automotive industries, we recognise we have work to do in this area. We are committed to working alongside companies in these industries to make improvements," the report stated.

Tesla, however, has assured that the company is looking to increase its outreach to women and bring in a more inclusive environment in the company. On that note, the report also noted that 25 per cent of new joiners in the company have been women, hinting towards a positive change in the diversity of the company.

"Increasing women's representation at all levels, especially in leadership, is a top priority in 2021," the company said.

It is not just the women who stay underrepresented in the company. Black and African American community, too, is a minority in the company's US workforce with only 10 per cent representation.&nbsp;

The Asian community, however, has 21 per cent representation and has been observing an increasing graph, especially in managerial roles by comprising nearly 25 per cent of its directorial and above level positions in the company.

Elon Musk's electric car company Tesla has released its first-ever diversity report titled 'Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Report', and women are majorly underrepresented in the company's US workforce.

Elon Musk's electric car company Tesla has released its first-ever diversity report titled 'Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Report', and women are majorly underrepresented in the company's US workforce. Men represent 79 per cent of the overall workforce of the company in the US, and women make the remaining 21 per cent, the report revealed. Also read| Elon Musk's Tesla factory workers counted as 'essential workers' The figures reported by the company have come as a surprise as the company has been one of the flag bearers in promoting gender equality. Women represent 21 per cent of the overall workforce and 23 per cent of the total promotions offered in the company. The figures, though not much, have seen an increase of five per cent since last year. Tesla's leadership roles also have a majority of men population with only 17 per cent women getting the opportunity to climb the ranks. Also read| Elon Musk: The extraordinary life of world's second-richest person "While women are historically underrepresented in the tech and automotive industries, we recognise we have work to do in this area. We are committed to working alongside companies in these industries to make improvements," the report stated. Tesla, however, has assured that the company is looking to increase its outreach to women and bring in a more inclusive environment in the company. On that note, the report also noted that 25 per cent of new joiners in the company have been women, hinting towards a positive change in the diversity of the company. "Increasing women's representation at all levels, especially in leadership, is a top priority in 2021," the company said. It is not just the women who stay underrepresented in the company. Black and African American community, too, is a minority in the company's US workforce with only 10 per cent representation. The Asian community, however, has 21 per cent representation and has been observing an increasing graph, especially in managerial roles by comprising nearly 25 per cent of its directorial and above level positions in the company.

Elon Musk's 'diverse' Tesla employs 79% male workforce

Elon Musk has beaten Bill Gates to become the World's second-richest person. His journey has been defined by risks, revolutionary ideas, and controversies. WION's Molly Gambhir brings you his story.

Gravitas: Elon Musk becomes the World's second-richest person

Bill Gates is no longer the world's second-richest person. Now, Elon Musk is&nbsp;the world’s second-richest person, after overtaking Gates on Monday.

The Tesla co-founder’s net worth jumped to $127.9 billion, clocking in an increase of $7.2 million, which was partly caused by an upsurge in Tesla’s shares.

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/elon-musk-shows-pig-blend-of-human-artificial-intelligence-324076/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

According to Bloomberg Billionaires Index, Musk has added $100.3 billion to his net worth just in 2020.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="http://13.235.153.162/world/elon-musks-tesla-factory-workers-counted-as-essential-workers-344684" hreflang="en">Elon Musk's Tesla factory workers counted as 'essential workers'</a>

A report published in Fortune posits that Elon Musk’s accumulation of wealth was largely caused by Tesla. Over three-quarters of his earnings were caused by Tesla.

Musk’s Tesla shares are valued over four more times more than his SpaceX shares.

For years, Bill Gates was the richest person in the world, before Amazon’s founder Jeff Bezos overtook his position in 2017. Currently, Gates’ net worth is $127.7 billion.

Gates’ dip in earnings is reportedly owing to his philanthropy and charity. Since 2006, Bill Gates has donated over $27 billion to Bill &amp; Melinda Gates Foundation.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="http://13.235.153.162/world/elon-musks-tesla-launches-tequila-250-worth-tequila-called-teslaquilla-341054" hreflang="en">Elon Musk's Tesla launches tequila $250 worth tequila called 'Teslaquilla'</a>

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
He has no clue
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) <a href="https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1304792315634966529?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 12, 2020</a></blockquote>
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Recently, Musk had mocked Bill Gates, claiming Gates had no knowledge of electric cards. When he was asked on Twitter by a user what his&nbsp; opinion&nbsp; was “about Bill Gates' declarations” on electric trucks, he said that Gates “has no clue”.

In February 2020, Gates had claimed that he wasn’t going to buy a Tesla made car. Musk responded and claimed that his conversations with Gates were rather “underwhelming”.

Bill Gates is no longer the world's second-richest person. Now, Elon Musk is the world’s second-richest person, after overtaking Gates on Monday. The Tesla co-founder’s net worth jumped to $127.

Bill Gates is no longer the world's second-richest person. Now, Elon Musk is the world’s second-richest person, after overtaking Gates on Monday. The Tesla co-founder’s net worth jumped to $127.9 billion, clocking in an increase of $7.2 million, which was partly caused by an upsurge in Tesla’s shares. According to Bloomberg Billionaires Index, Musk has added $100.3 billion to his net worth just in 2020. Also read: Elon Musk's Tesla factory workers counted as 'essential workers' A report published in Fortune posits that Elon Musk’s accumulation of wealth was largely caused by Tesla. Over three-quarters of his earnings were caused by Tesla. Musk’s Tesla shares are valued over four more times more than his SpaceX shares. For years, Bill Gates was the richest person in the world, before Amazon’s founder Jeff Bezos overtook his position in 2017. Currently, Gates’ net worth is $127.7 billion. Gates’ dip in earnings is reportedly owing to his philanthropy and charity. Since 2006, Bill Gates has donated over $27 billion to Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Also read: Elon Musk's Tesla launches tequila $250 worth tequila called 'Teslaquilla' He has no clue — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) September 12, 2020 × Recently, Musk had mocked Bill Gates, claiming Gates had no knowledge of electric cards. When he was asked on Twitter by a user what his opinion was “about Bill Gates' declarations” on electric trucks, he said that Gates “has no clue”. In February 2020, Gates had claimed that he wasn’t going to buy a Tesla made car. Musk responded and claimed that his conversations with Gates were rather “underwhelming”.

Bill Gates is no longer world's second-richest person

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