Elon Musk joined Tesla as chairman in 2004, one year after the company was founded.
Tesla was founded in 2003 by Martin Eberhard and Marc Tarpenning. Musk led the company’s first major investment round in 2004 and became chairman of its board. He was not one of the original founders, although Tesla has since described him as a co-founder in its corporate history.
The company’s first production vehicle was the Tesla Roadster, based partly on the Lotus Elise platform. It used lithium-ion battery cells and entered production in 2008, helping establish the idea that an electric car could be both high-performance and commercially desirable.
Musk became Tesla’s chief executive in 2008. The company later expanded its range with the Model S, Model X, Model 3, and Model Y, while also developing energy-storage products and solar technology.