What does Tesla do?
Tesla makes electric cars, home and grid batteries and solar products, and is building self-driving robotaxis and humanoid robots. It was founded in 2003 by the engineers Martin Eberhard and Marc Tarpenning; Elon Musk led its first funding round in 2004, became chairman and has been chief executive since 2008 1. The company moved its headquarters from California to Austin, Texas, in 2021.
What does Tesla sell?
Most of Tesla’s revenue still comes from cars: the Model 3 and Model Y, the larger Model S and X, and the Cybertruck. Its energy business sells Megapack grid batteries and Powerwall home batteries. In 2024 Tesla reported revenue of $97.7 billion 3. It began a limited robotaxi service in Austin in June 2025 and is developing the Optimus humanoid robot.
How much is Tesla worth?
Tesla has been listed on Nasdaq since its 2010 IPO under the ticker TSLA. At about $404 a share it was worth roughly $1.6 trillion in early November 2026, making it one of the ten most valuable companies in the world 2. Its shares rose about 13% in October 2026 while SpaceX shares fell 1.
Who owns Tesla?
Musk owns nearly 11% of Tesla’s shares, plus restricted shares worth about $115 billion that Forbes leaves out of his net worth until they vest 1. The rest is held mostly by index funds and other institutions. In October 2026 Tesla and SpaceX formed special committees to explore combining the two companies; any deal would need shareholder approval 4.
A short history
Tesla was founded in 2003, launched the Roadster in 2008, the Model S in 2012 and the mass-market Model 3 in 2017, moved to Austin in 2021 and became one of the most valuable companies in the world 5.
