Jul 2003
Turning point
Tesla formed
Tesla Motors was formed in Delaware in July 2003, according to its IPO prospectus.
Company
How Tesla unfolded
Tesla was formed in Delaware in July 2003, began delivering its Roadster sports car in 2008 and went public on Nasdaq in 2010. It expanded from electric cars into solar and energy storage. Its history includes an SEC settlement over chief executive Elon Musk's 2018 statements, litigation over his pay that reached the Delaware Supreme Court, and a 2024 move of its incorporation to Texas.
July 2003 to today · 24 dated events · 14 sources
Where it stands now · as of 31 October 2026
Tesla is listed on Nasdaq under TSLA and is led by Elon Musk. Its appeal of the Miami Autopilot verdict is pending in the Eleventh Circuit, and it reported third quarter 2026 revenue of $28.05 billion.
Next date
6 November 2026 Tesla's reply brief due in the Eleventh Circuit appeal of the Miami verdict
6 November 2026 Tesla's reply brief due in the Eleventh Circuit appeal of the Miami verdict
vehicles delivered in 20251,636,129company figures as reported
vehicles delivered in Q3 2026486,532Form 8-K exhibit
energy storage deployed in Q3 202613.7 GWh
combined SEC penalties paid by Tesla and Musk in 2018$40m$20m each
Overview · Jul 2003 to 21 Oct 2026 · click a dot to jump
2003
· · · 60 months later
2008
2008
Roadster deliveries begin
Tesla began delivering the Roadster in early 2008, according to its IPO prospectus, which said it had sold 1,063 Roadsters to customers in 22 countries by 31 March 2010.
· · · 18 months later
2010
Jan 2010
$465 million federal loan
The US Department of Energy issued Tesla a $465 million loan to produce all-electric vehicles and build a battery and powertrain plant in Fremont, California, according to the department.
May 2010
Toyota agrees to buy $50 million of stock
Tesla entered into an agreement under which Toyota would buy $50 million of its common stock at the IPO price in a private placement, according to the prospectus.
28 Jun 2010
Turning point
IPO priced at $17 per share
Tesla priced its initial public offering of 13.3 million shares at $17 each.
29 Jun 2010
Shares begin trading on Nasdaq
Tesla shares began trading on the Nasdaq Global Select Market under the ticker TSLA.
· · · 34 months later
2013
May 2013
Federal loan repaid
Tesla fully repaid its Department of Energy loan, according to the department.
· · · 43 months later
2016
21 Nov 2016
SolarCity acquisition completed
Tesla completed its acquisition of solar installer SolarCity in a deal valued at about $2.6 billion, SiliconANGLE reported.
· · · 21 months later
2018
7 Aug 2018
Musk posts about taking Tesla private
Musk posted on Twitter that he could take Tesla private at $420 per share. The SEC's complaint later alleged that the tweets were misleading and lacked an adequate basis in fact.
29 Sep 2018
Turning point
SEC settlement with Musk and Tesla
The SEC charged Musk with securities fraud and charged Tesla with a securities law violation. Both settled without admitting or denying the allegations, and each agreed to pay a $20 million penalty. Musk agreed to step down as chairman and be ineligible for re-election as chairman for three years.
· · · 62 months later
2023
12 Dec 2023
Autopilot recall after federal safety review
Tesla filed a recall covering 2,031,220 US vehicles to add Autosteer driver controls by over-the-air software update. The recall record links it to a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration engineering analysis.
2024
30 Jan 2024
Turning point
Delaware court orders Musk's 2018 pay package rescinded
In a shareholder suit alleging that Tesla's directors breached their fiduciary duties by approving Musk's 2018 performance award, the Delaware Court of Chancery issued an opinion finding that the award should be rescinded.
13 Jun 2024
Shareholders back move to Texas and ratify pay
Tesla said stockholders approved redomesticating the company to Texas and ratified the 2018 CEO performance award. It said it was now incorporated in Texas.
2 Dec 2024
Chancery court declines to revise its ruling
The Court of Chancery denied a motion by Musk, the other director defendants and Tesla to revise its January 2024 opinion after stockholders ratified the award. It awarded plaintiff's counsel fees of $345 million.
2025
1 Aug 2025
Miami jury finds Tesla partly liable in Autopilot crash
A jury in the US District Court for the Southern District of Florida found Tesla 33 percent at fault and the driver 67 percent at fault for a 2019 crash involving Autopilot. It awarded $129 million in compensatory damages and $200 million in punitive damages. Reports put the amount owed by Tesla at about $243 million.
6 Nov 2025
Shareholders approve 2025 CEO award
At Tesla's annual meeting, shareholders approved the 2025 CEO performance award for Musk. An advisory proposal on investing in xAI did not pass under the company's bylaws.
19 Dec 2025
Turning point
Delaware Supreme Court restores 2018 pay
The Delaware Supreme Court reversed the Court of Chancery's rescission order, reinstating Musk's 2018 pay package, and awarded $1 in nominal damages. It also significantly reduced the attorney fee award.
2026
2 Jan 2026
2025 deliveries reported
Tesla reported 418,227 deliveries in the fourth quarter of 2025 and 1,636,129 for the full year. It said it deployed 46.7 GWh of energy storage in 2025.
19 Feb 2026
Judge upholds Autopilot verdict
US District Judge Beth Bloom denied Tesla's post-trial motions for judgment as a matter of law or a new trial. Claims Journal reported that she said the evidence "more than supported" the verdict.
18 Mar 2026
Chancery court enters final order on 2018 award
The Court of Chancery entered a final order implementing the Delaware Supreme Court's reversal, according to Tesla's quarterly report.
2 Jul 2026
Tesla files appeal brief in Miami Autopilot case
Tesla filed its opening brief with the US Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit. The plaintiffs filed their response on 16 September 2026, and Tesla's reply was due by 6 November 2026.
29 Sep 2026
$28 billion in new credit facilities
Tesla entered into a $20.0 billion three-year delayed draw term loan facility and an $8.0 billion five-year revolving credit facility, with Citibank as administrative agent.
2 Oct 2026
Third quarter 2026 deliveries
Tesla reported delivering 486,532 vehicles and deploying 13.7 GWh of energy storage in the third quarter of 2026.
21 Oct 2026
Third quarter 2026 results
Tesla reported third quarter revenue of $28.05 billion, compared with $28.10 billion a year earlier, and net income attributable to common stockholders of $787 million, down from $1.37 billion.
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Sources
14 records, ranked by type- 1Subject's own statement15 Jun 2010Tesla Motors, Inc. Amendment No. 7 to Registration Statement on Form S-1Tesla Motors, Inc., filed with the SEC · sec.gov
- 2Government document31 Oct 2026TeslaUS Department of Energy Loan Programs Office · energy.gov
- 3Subject's own statement28 Jun 2010Tesla Announces Pricing of Initial Public OfferingTesla · ir.tesla.com
- 4News report21 Nov 2016Tesla finally completes its $2.6B acquisition of SolarCitySiliconANGLE · siliconangle.com
- 5Official record29 Sep 2018Elon Musk Settles SEC Fraud Charges, Tesla Charged With and Resolves Securities Law ChargeUS Securities and Exchange Commission · sec.gov
- 6Official record12 Dec 2023Recall 23V-838, recall recordNational Highway Traffic Safety Administration · api.nhtsa.gov
- 7Subject's own statement13 Jun 2024Tesla Releases Results of 2024 Annual Meeting of StockholdersTesla · ir.tesla.com
- 8News report20 Feb 2026Judge Upholds $243M Verdict Against Tesla Over Fatal Autopilot CrashClaims Journal · amp.claimsjournal.com
- 9Subject's own statement6 Nov 2025Tesla, Inc. Form 8-K, 2025 annual meeting voting resultsTesla, Inc., filed with the SEC · sec.gov
- 10Subject's own statement2 Jan 2026Tesla Fourth Quarter 2025 Production, Deliveries and DeploymentsTesla, Inc., exhibit 99.1 to Form 8-K filed with the SEC · sec.gov
- 11Subject's own statement2 Oct 2026Tesla Third Quarter 2026 Production, Deliveries and DeploymentsTesla, Inc., exhibit 99.1 to Form 8-K filed with the SEC · sec.gov
- 12Subject's own statement29 Jan 2026Tesla, Inc. annual report on Form 10-K for 2025Tesla, Inc., filed with the SEC · sec.gov
- 13Subject's own statement22 Oct 2026Tesla, Inc. quarterly report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended 30 September 2026Tesla, Inc., filed with the SEC · sec.gov
- 14Subject's own statement29 Sep 2026Tesla, Inc. Form 8-K, Item 1.01, credit agreementsTesla, Inc., filed with the SEC · sec.gov
Last updated 31 October 2026. Spotted an error? See corrections. Every event links to the record it comes from. Allegations are attributed to whoever made them.