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Tesla’s first CEO says Elon Musk never replied to a congratulatory note he sent — and hasn’t spoken to him in 14 years

    Tesla's first CEO says Elon Musk never replied to a congratulatory note he sent — and hasn't spoken to him in 14 years

    Tesla’s first CEO says Elon Musk never replied to a congratulatory note he sent — and hasn’t spoken to him in 14 years, Martin Eberhard said after SpaceX launched its first rocket into orbit.

    The Tesla co-founder said he never heard back from Musk and hasn’t spoken to him in nearly 14 years. The two men have had a rocky relationship and have been known to argue about Tesla’s early history.

    Elon Musk is a prolific Twitter responder. From population decline to laughing emoji, here are their top answers. Elon Musk is a prolific Twitter responder. From population decline to laughing emoji, here are their top answers. Of all the people who have run Twitter as CEO, Elon Musk is by far the most active on the platform.

    Musk engages with users on a daily basis, even replying to tweets from accounts with some followers. These are some of the common phrases and themes found in his answers. If you can credit Elon Musk as CEO of Twitter, it’s that he uses the service far more than any leader who came before him.

    Historically, a frequent criticism about Twitter leadership — including its C-suite executives and board members — was that they didn’t tweet very often. And most CEOs active on Twitter use the platform largely to deliver sterile, PR-ready statements regarding company news.

    Musk is fiercely independent on social media, which has endeared him to some, but has also had disastrous consequences. Musk is fighting a legal battle over a tweet he sent in 2018 in which he claimed he secured funding to take over one of his companies, Tesla Private, at a price of $420 a share.

    Plaintiffs say they lost money after buying the stock before the announcement that the deal was still under discussion and had not been finalized.

    The Information reports that advertisers are also worried about their brands as Elon Musk loosening content moderation with a 35% drop in fourth-quarter revenue. In using Twitter, Musk is unusual among prominent politicians in another way.

    He often tweets in response to regular users who don’t have a lot of followers. Insider took a sample of Musk’s answers between early 2020 and early 2023 and searched them for frequently appearing words and phrases. Certain patterns emerged in the way Musk responded to others.

    Below are five common themes found in their responses. Tesla co-founder Martin Eberhard said he hasn’t spoken to Elon Musk in nearly 14 years. In a 2009 interview, Eberhard told Insider, “The last time I communicated directly with him was after we had settled our lawsuit.

    “I actually sent him a congratulatory message when his first rocket successfully reached space, but I didn’t get a reply.” SpaceX launched its first rocket into orbit in 2008. The reusable-rocket company had three failed launches between 2006 and 2008. SpaceX is going to be the company of today.

    Eberhard and Musk have had a rocky relationship over the years. The Tesla co-founder has said that Musk forced him out of the company and that Tesla’s board voted him in as CEO behind his back in 2007. Elon Musk did not respond to multiple requests for comment on this story.

    Emails seeking Insider’s email to Tesla’s press line were not returned. When Eberhard left, Musk said that Eberhard’s departure was related to delays in production of the Tesla Roadster and other operational issues. Elon Musk will donate about $2 billion of Tesla stock to charity in 2022.

    Elon Musk said at the time, “It was not a question of personality differences, as the decision to move Martin into an advisory role was unanimous among the board.” “Tesla has operational problems that need to be resolved and if the board thought Martin could be part of the solution, he would still be an employee of the company.”

    About two years later, when Musk began calling himself the founder of Tesla, Eberhard sued Musk, accusing him of defamation and slander. Eberhard also accused Musk of saying that the roadster’s development was delayed and the budget increased because of Eberhard.

    That year, the lawsuit was settled for an undisclosed amount, with the stipulation that Musk and two other Tesla executives, JB Straubel and Ian Wright, could also claim the title of Tesla founder. Today Musk is listed as a cofounder on the carmaker’s website.

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