What is Tesla?
Accelerating the world's transition to sustainable energy
- Headquarters
- Austin, Texas (1 Tesla Road, Gigafactory Texas)
- Founded
- July 2003
- Employees
- ~134,785 (as of Dec 2025)
- 2025 Revenue
- $94.8 billion (first annual decline; -3% YoY)
- Market Cap / Status
- ~$1.4 trillion (NASDAQ: TSLA, June 2026)
- Energy Storage Deployed
- 46.7 GWh in 2025 (record; $12.8B Energy segment revenue)
What is Tesla?
Tesla, Inc. is an American electric vehicle and clean energy company that designs, manufactures, and sells battery-electric cars, energy storage systems, and solar products. It is the world's most valuable automaker by market capitalization (~$1.4 trillion as of June 2026) and generated $94.8 billion in revenue in 2025.
Tesla was founded in July 2003 by Martin Eberhard and Marc Tarpenning, with Elon Musk, JB Straubel, and Ian Wright joining as co-founders. The Roadster, delivered in 2008, proved long-range EVs were commercially viable; subsequent models — Model S, Model 3, Model X, Model Y, and Cybertruck — turned Tesla into the dominant EV brand globally. In 2025, Tesla delivered 1.63 million vehicles globally and generated $94.8 billion in total revenue — its first-ever annual revenue decline (-3% YoY), driven by price reductions and intensifying competition.
Tesla's automotive segment accounts for roughly 78% of 2025 revenue. Its Energy Generation and Storage division — anchored by the utility-scale Megapack and residential Powerwall — is the fastest-growing and most profitable segment, deploying a record 46.7 GWh of storage in 2025 and generating $12.8 billion in Energy segment revenue at ~29.8% gross margins, exceeding automotive margins. Tesla also offers Full Self-Driving software at $99/month and launched its robotaxi service in Austin in June 2025 (unsupervised from January 2026), while ramping the Cybercab robotaxi (production began April 2026 at Gigafactory Texas) and the Optimus Gen 3 humanoid robot (1,000+ units deployed in Tesla factories as of January 2026).
With a global fleet of millions of vehicles feeding real-world data into its neural-network autonomy stack, Tesla spans auto manufacturing, AI software, and grid-scale energy infrastructure. Tesla reclaimed the global EV sales lead in Q1 2026, delivering 358,023 vehicles vs. BYD's 310,389 pure EVs. Q1 2026 revenue rebounded to $22.4B (+16% YoY) with gross margins recovering to 21.1%, free cash flow of $1.44B, and adjusted EPS surging 52% to $0.41.
What does Tesla offer?
Tesla's product portfolio spans consumer EVs, commercial vehicles, autonomous driving software, grid-scale energy storage, residential solar and batteries, and humanoid robotics.
- Model 3· Passenger EV
- Model Y· Passenger EV
- Model S· Passenger EV
- Model X· Passenger EV
- Cybertruck· Pickup EV
- Cybercab Robotaxi· Autonomous Vehicle
- Tesla Semi· Commercial EV
- Megapack· Energy Storage
- Powerwall· Energy Storage
- Solar Panels & Solar Roof· Energy Generation
- Full Self-Driving (FSD) — $99/month subscription· Autonomy Software
- Autopilot / Enhanced Autopilot· Autonomy Software
- Supercharger Network· Charging Infrastructure
- Optimus Gen 3 Humanoid Robot· Robotics
- Cortex AI Training Cluster (Gigafactory Texas)· AI Infrastructure
How does Tesla make money?
Tesla earns revenue across three segments: Automotive (vehicle sales + FSD software subscriptions + ZEV regulatory credits), Energy Generation & Storage (Megapack and Powerwall), and Services & Other (repair, insurance, Supercharging, used vehicles).
Automotive is the core revenue driver: the Model Y (from $41,630) and Model 3 (from $36,990) account for the majority of units sold. The Cybertruck starts at $72,235 (Dual Motor AWD) and the Cyberbeast at $114,990. Tesla now sells FSD exclusively as a $99/month subscription (or $999/year) after discontinuing the one-time purchase option in early 2026 — representing near-pure-margin recurring software revenue layered on each vehicle sale, with Musk signaling the price will rise as unsupervised autonomy matures. ZEV regulatory credit sales contributed $1.99 billion in 2025, though that revenue stream faces uncertainty following legislative changes in H.R. 1 (the Big Beautiful Bill).
The Energy segment is increasingly profitable and strategically important. A single Megapack sells for approximately $1 million; Tesla deployed 46.7 GWh in 2025 ($12.8B revenue) at gross margins of ~29.8%, higher than the automotive segment and nearly double the automotive gross margin of prior years. The Shanghai Megafactory — opened in February 2025 with 40 GWh annual capacity — produced over 2,000 Megapack units in its first year. Powerwall serves the residential market at roughly $9,200–$12,000 installed. Structural demand from AI data centers and utilities represents a multi-year tailwind independent of EV market cycles.
Services & Other (Supercharging, mobile service, Tesla Insurance, used vehicles) deepens ecosystem lock-in and grew 18% in Q4 2025. Tesla's vertical integration — building its own FSD AI chips (currently HW4 / AI4 in vehicles), a 67k H100-equivalent Cortex training cluster at Gigafactory Texas, and a proprietary CRM replacing Salesforce — keeps unit economics structurally favorable versus legacy OEM peers. The company raised its 2026 capex guidance to $25 billion (from $20B initial guidance) to fund Cybercab mass production, Optimus robot ramp, Gigafactory Texas expansion, and AI compute.
Who leads Tesla?
Tesla is led by CEO Elon Musk, who holds near-total strategic authority, supported by a lean C-suite covering finance, legal, automotive operations, AI/autonomy, vehicle engineering, and design.
- Elon MuskCEO & DirectorCEO since 2008; co-founder (joined 2004)Sets long-term vision across vehicles, AI/autonomy, energy, and robotics; serves as lead product architect with no permanent COO beneath him. Also CEO of SpaceX and xAI.
- Vaibhav TanejaCFO & Chief Accounting OfficerCFO since August 2023; at Tesla since 2017 via SolarCity acquisitionOversees global finance, accounting, reporting, investor relations, and compliance. Financial sign-off authority for procurement.
- Tom ZhuSVP, AutomotiveSVP since 2023; at Tesla since 2014Leads global manufacturing, sales, and delivery operations; credited with Tesla's rapid China Gigafactory ramp. Key decision-maker for supply chain and manufacturing vendors.
- Ashok ElluswamyVP, AI Software (Autopilot/FSD)At Tesla since 2015Leads Autopilot and Full Self-Driving engineering; key architect of Tesla's neural-network autonomy stack. Evaluates all tools touching FSD/autonomy.
- Lars MoravyVP, Vehicle EngineeringAt Tesla since 2018Oversees mechanical design, integration, and testing across all Tesla vehicle programs. Owns vehicle component and materials decisions.
- Franz von HolzhausenChief DesignerAt Tesla since 2008Responsible for Tesla's design language; led design of Model S, Model 3, Model Y, Cybertruck, and Cybercab.
- Brandon EhrhartGeneral Counsel & Corporate SecretaryGeneral Counsel since 2022Manages legal affairs, regulatory compliance, litigation, and IP strategy. Key contact for partnership and licensing discussions.
- Martin EberhardCo-founder (original CEO, departed)Co-founder July 2003; departed 2007Founded Tesla with Marc Tarpenning in July 2003; served as original CEO through the Roadster development phase.
How do you contact Tesla's leadership?
Tesla's verified employee email format is first-initial + last name @tesla.com (e.g., jdoe@tesla.com), used by the majority of Tesla employees. Tesla does not publish direct personal emails for its C-suite; the addresses below follow the verified company format. The Investor Relations team can be reached at [email protected]. Media inquiries go through ir.tesla.com/press.
jdoe@tesla.comHow much funding has Tesla raised?
Tesla has raised over $10 billion across pre-IPO venture rounds, a $465 million U.S. Department of Energy loan, its 2010 NASDAQ IPO, and multiple post-IPO equity and convertible debt offerings. Its market capitalization stands at approximately $1.4 trillion as of June 2026.
Tesla's pre-IPO funding spanned six venture rounds. Series A (February 2004, $7.5M) was led by Elon Musk ($6.5M personal contribution), who became Chairman. Series B (February 2005, $13M, Valor Equity Partners) funded Roadster prototype development. Series C (May 2006, $40M) brought VantagePoint Capital Partners, Google founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin, and JP Morgan — lending early credibility to the EV thesis. Series D (May 2007, $45M) added Technology Partners and Capricorn Investment Group. Series E (2008, $40M equity + $80.2M convertible debt) bridged Tesla through the financial crisis with weeks of cash remaining. Series F (2009) added a $50M strategic investment from Daimler (Mercedes-Benz) for ~10%, an $82.5M tranche from Al Wahada Capital (Abu Dhabi), and a landmark $465M U.S. DOE ATVM loan.
The NASDAQ IPO on June 29, 2010 raised $226.1 million at $17/share — the first U.S. auto IPO since Ford in 1956. Tesla repaid the DOE loan in full in May 2013 — nine years early — using proceeds from a concurrent ~$1 billion stock and convertible note offering. A $2.7 billion equity raise followed in May 2019, and an estimated $13.5+ billion was raised across at-the-market offerings in 2020 as the stock surged ~700%, funding Gigafactory Shanghai, Berlin, and Texas buildouts.
Today Tesla is cash-flow positive and self-funding capital expenditures raised to $25 billion in 2026, covering Megapack production scaling, Cybercab mass production, Optimus robot ramp, Gigafactory Texas expansion, and the Cortex AI compute cluster. Free cash flow in Q1 2026 was $1.44 billion.
How did Tesla get here?
From a two-person EV startup in 2003 to a ~$1.4 trillion market cap company pioneering autonomous vehicles, energy storage, and humanoid robots in 2026.
- July 2003Tesla Motors foundedMartin Eberhard and Marc Tarpenning co-found Tesla Motors in San Carlos, CA. Elon Musk leads the February 2004 Series A ($7.5M) and becomes Chairman; JB Straubel joins as CTO.
- February 2008Roadster deliveries begin; Musk becomes CEOTesla delivers its first production Roadster (245-mile range), proving long-range EVs are commercially viable. Musk assumes the CEO role the same year.
- June 29, 2010NASDAQ IPO — $226M raisedTesla raises $226.1M at $17/share — the first U.S. auto IPO since Ford in 1956. GM acquires a ~$30M stake at IPO.
- 2012Model S deliveries begin; Supercharger network launchesModel S earns Motor Trend Car of the Year; Tesla opens the first six Supercharger stations in California, beginning its proprietary global charging network.
- January 2020Gigafactory Shanghai opens; Model Y launchesGigafactory Shanghai reaches volume production, making Tesla the first foreign automaker to 100%-own a car factory in China. Model Y deliveries begin in March 2020.
- November 2023Cybertruck enters production at Gigafactory TexasTesla begins delivering the stainless-steel Cybertruck from Austin — its first major new vehicle architecture in over a decade.
- June 2025Robotaxi service launches in AustinTesla launches its robotaxi service in Austin with FSD Unsupervised (initially with safety drivers). Fully driverless unsupervised operations began in January 2026, later expanding to Dallas and Houston.
- April 2026Cybercab production begins; Optimus Gen 3 scales to 1,000+ factory unitsTesla begins mass production of the Cybercab at Gigafactory Texas. Over 1,000 Optimus Gen 3 humanoid robots are deployed inside Tesla factories. Q1 2026 revenue hits $22.4B (+16% YoY) with 21.1% gross margins and $1.44B free cash flow.
Who are Tesla's competitors?
Tesla competes with pure-play EV manufacturers, legacy automakers with EV lines, and autonomy-first players, with BYD as its most significant global rival.
- BYDChina-based EV and battery giant; delivered 2.26M pure BEVs in 2025 vs. Tesla's 1.63M, though BYD's BEV sales fell 25% YoY in Q1 2026 allowing Tesla to retake the global sales lead. Dominant in China; expanding into Europe; excluded from the U.S. by trade tariffs.
- RivianU.S. EV startup targeting adventure and commercial vehicles (R1T, R1S, EDV van); its R2 compact SUV launching in 2026 is a direct Model Y challenger at a lower price point.
- Lucid MotorsLuxury EV maker with best-in-class range (Air sedan, Gravity SUV at 440+ miles); competes at the premium end of Tesla's Model S/X segment.
- FordLegacy automaker with Mustang Mach-E and F-150 Lightning; significant dealer reach but has scaled back aggressive EV expansion timelines amid margin pressure.
- General MotorsCompetes with Chevrolet Blazer EV and Equinox EV at Model Y price points via the Ultium battery platform; has pulled back on some EV production targets due to demand softness.
- WaymoAlphabet's autonomous vehicle unit; direct rival to Tesla's FSD/Cybercab ambitions, operating the largest paid robotaxi fleet in the U.S. using LiDAR + cameras vs. Tesla's camera-only approach. Valued at ~$126B as of 2026.
Tesla — frequently asked questions
