Tesla, Inc. is a prominent American multinational company engaged in the automotive and clean energy sectors. Based in Austin, Texas, the firm designs, manufactures, and sells battery electric vehicles, stationary energy storage solutions ranging from home to grid-scale, solar panels and solar shingles, along with a variety of related products and services.
Founded in July 2003 by Martin Eberhard and Marc Tarpenning under the name Tesla Motors, the company honors inventor and electrical engineer Nikola Tesla. In February 2004, Elon Musk spearheaded Tesla's initial funding round and assumed the role of chairman; later, in 2008, he became the chief executive officer. The company's journey began with the production of its inaugural vehicle, the Roadster sports car, in 2008, followed by the launch of the Model S sedan in 2012, the Model X SUV in 2015, the Model 3 sedan in 2017, the Model Y crossover in 2020, the Tesla Semi truck in 2022, and the Cybertruck pickup in 2023.
Tesla ranks among the world's top companies by market capitalization and has held the title of the most valuable automaker since July 2020. From October 2021 to March 2022, Tesla achieved trillion-dollar status, becoming the seventh U.S. firm to attain such a valuation. The company surpassed the $1 trillion market cap again between November 2024 and February 2025. In 2023, Tesla led the battery electric vehicle market, capturing a 19.9% market share, and was also ranked 69th on the Forbes Global 2000 list.