Tesla was incorporated in 2003 by Martin Eberhard and Marc Tarpenning.
The company was originally called Tesla Motors. Elon Musk joined as an early investor and became chairman, while other early figures included JB Straubel and Ian Wright. Tesla’s first production vehicle was the Roadster, introduced in 2008.
Tesla later expanded with the Model S, Model X, Model 3 and Model Y, helping make battery-electric vehicles more prominent in the mass market. It also developed battery storage products, charging infrastructure and solar-energy offerings.
Tesla’s market capitalization is the value of its publicly traded equity, which can differ sharply from its sales or vehicle-production totals. The company is also distinct from electric-vehicle startups such as Rivian and Lucid Motors.