Tesla first reached a $1 trillion market capitalization in October 2021.
Tesla crossed the milestone on October 25, 2021, after rental-car company Hertz announced an order for 100,000 electric vehicles. The announcement helped drive Tesla’s share price above the level needed for its publicly traded equity to be valued at $1 trillion.
Tesla was founded in 2003 and became closely associated with electric cars, battery storage, charging infrastructure, and software-enabled vehicles. Elon Musk joined the company as an early investor and became its chief executive in 2008.
The $1 trillion figure was a stock-market valuation, not the amount of money Tesla had earned from selling cars. Market capitalization can change daily, while vehicle deliveries, factories, and long-term investments develop over much longer periods.