Larry Sonsini joins Tesla Motors board

doug · 05-13-2008, 12:12 PM

For what it's worth:

Larry Sonsini joins Tesla Motors board - East Bay Business Times:

Not sure of the implications... maybe just another step in preparation for the eventual IPO.

Chris H. · 05-13-2008, 01:04 PM

Hey Doug,

did you notice the infamous phrase in the following paragraph?

"Laurie Yoler, who has served on the Tesla Motors board since the company's founding, will transition to the Tesla Motors Advisory Board."

"Transition to the TM Advisory Board". Hmm, what does that mean again? Oh, yes, "don't let the door hit you on the way out"!

BTW, does anybody know anything about Laurie Yoler? Who appointed her? Was she let go because she still had some residue of conscience?

All the best,

Chris H.

doug · 05-13-2008, 04:34 PM

Larry Sonsini joins Tesla board to provide guidance on future direction - AutoblogGreen

I don't make anything of this. Just a link someone put in the ABG comments:
Law.com - Wilson Sonsini Named in Backdating Suit

doug · 05-13-2008, 05:04 PM

Never heard of her before today, but here's her description the Google cached version of the TM site.

Quote:

Laurie Yoler
Managing Director , GrowthPoint Technology Partners

Laurie Yoler has been helping emerging technology companies grow for more than 20 years, as an executive, advisor, investor, and board member. She has served on the boards of public companies, private companies, and non-profit organizations. She is currently a Managing Director at GrowthPoint Technology Partners, a technology investment bank based in Palo Alto, Calif, serving technology and cleantech companies worldwide.
Prior to GrowthPoint Technology Partners, she was chief development officer at Intellectual Ventures, working with Nathan Myhrvold exploring invention and investment opportunities in a wide variety of technology areas. Before joining Intellectual Ventures, Ms. Yoler was vice president of marketing and business development for Packet Design LLC, a networking R&D firm started by Judy Estrin, Bill Carrico, and Van Jacobson. Laurie was instrumental in helping Packet Design spin out three networking companies: Vernier Networks, Packet Design Inc., and Precision I/O.
Ms. Yoler was previously a director at Sun Microsystems for seven years, where she held a number of corporate development, business development, marketing, and sales management positions, including three years based in Geneva, Switzerland, as the sales director for financial markets for Europe, Middle East, and Africa. While in Europe, she was selected as a member of the European Union Financial Issues Working Group, which made recommendations to the EU on technology standards. She was also instrumental in the launch of Java worldwide.
Prior to Sun, Ms. Yoler was the director of product development and management at Visa, where she designed and launched the Visa Check Card. Before joining Visa, she was a manager in the advanced technology practices of Andersen Consulting (now Accenture) and Coopers & Lybrand (now PricewaterhouseCoopers).
Ms. Yoler brings consumer product marketing, business development, and public policy expertise to the Tesla Motors board.

doug · 05-13-2008, 05:30 PM

Tesla Motors has arrived: Sonsini joins board - The Docu-Drama Blog - The stories behind Silicon Valley’s SEC filings

doug · 05-14-2008, 07:36 PM

And of course, TTAC take on it:
Tesla Birth Watch 47: Scandal-Tainted Shark to Help Tesla Prepare for IPO | The Truth About Cars

Quote:

AutoblogGreen sets 'em up. We knock 'em down.

Martin · 05-18-2008, 08:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chris H.

Hey Doug,

did you notice the infamous phrase in the following paragraph?

"Laurie Yoler, who has served on the Tesla Motors board since the company's founding, will transition to the Tesla Motors Advisory Board."

"Transition to the TM Advisory Board". Hmm, what does that mean again? Oh, yes, "don't let the door hit you on the way out"!

BTW, does anybody know anything about Laurie Yoler? Who appointed her? Was she let go because she still had some residue of conscience?

All the best,

Chris H.

Marc and I appointed Laurie shortly after we founded the company. We knew her from our stint at Packet Design, where she was part of the Marketing team. I was impressed by the connections she had in Silicon Valley - connections that served Tesla well in its fund raising efforts.

You can imagine my excitement about her joining the advisory board.

Martin · 05-18-2008, 08:24 PM

You have to wonder what will be the impact of adding another lawyer to Tesla's board. Will they become even more litigious? Note that Board Member Ira Ehrenpreis worked for a while as a lawyer at Wilson Sonsini.