Martin Eberhard sues Elon Musk and Tesla Motors

[Arnold Panz]

If Tesla isn't saying anything, then it's likely a settlement, because otherwise they'd be gloating like crazy, based on past behavior. I'm really glad the case is done -- it was a major distraction, and I'm certain neither party would have been happy with the ultimate outcome.

 

[vfx]

... and I'm certain neither party would have been happy with the ultimate outcome.

Who says they are happy now?

 

[Palpatine]

I think Martin just wanted everyone to stop trying to change history and casting blame on him for past delays and cost overruns. I am sure there were many people responsible for delays. It is never fully the responsibility of a single person. There are so many external things out of your control when growing a new business.

 

[AnOutsider]

Who says they are happy now?

Settling has GOT to be better than dumping money on lawyer's fees at a trial, airing out your dirty laundry and tossing your cards in the wind hoping for a "decent" outcome.

Happy? Who knows. Better off? Likely.

 

[Arnold Panz]

Who says they are happy now?

LOL! I think both guys got stuff off of their chests that they really wanted to air. I wouldn't suppose that they're "happy" with the outcome, but in an indirect way they both got their day in court, or at least the court of public opinion. Oftentimes, that's all people are looking for when they bring a claim, so it's possible that Martin got what he wanted by venting his spleen in the Complaint (and defeating the anti-SLAPP claim), and Elon got what he wanted by offering his detailed answer and rebuttal on his blog post.

Believe me, if we could visit alternate universe X, where they didn't settle the case and took it the distance, they're at least 50% "happier" here than they would be in that situation. It's all relative.

 

[vfx]

LOL! I think both guys got stuff off of their chests that they really wanted to air.

Agreed. I would also think Martin got the monies he wanted and he would now be hoping that anyone writing the history of Tesla would come across this lawsuit and duly credit him for founding Tesla, but unfortunately, I think over time (like 6 months) , Martin's claim will be forgotten again.

 

[doug]

Looks like they settled today:

Legal Pad: Tesla Co-Founder (Dammit!) Settles Suit

Elon gets officially named a co-founder and they both make nice statements about each other.

Just click the link to read, but here are some quotes

“Elon Musk and Martin Eberhard, two of the co-founders of Tesla announced today that they have resolved their dispute,” says the soon-to-be-released announcement.
...
In the statement, Eberhard said Musk wasn’t all that bad: “As co-founder of the company, Elon’s contributions to Tesla have been extraordinary.”

And Musk, who had previously bad-mouthed Eberhard in a lengthy blog post, said “Industry changing efforts are virtually impossible. Without Martin’s indispensable efforts, Tesla motors would not be here today.”

Eberhard's lawyer, Yosef Peretz, said the terms of the settlement were confidential, but said that Eberhard was “very pleased” with the result. ...

 

[johnr]

Well that is indeed some very very good news! Now we can all move on...

 

[efusco]

Agreed, I'm glad things can just move on without the distraction.

 

[AnOutsider]

yay. I can haz Model S?

 

[doug]

Speculation about teslafounders.com being inaccessible is here.

 

[doug]

A couple more quotes:

"I'm glad that we could put this behind us and direct all our energy toward making Tesla one of the great car companies of the 21st century," said Musk.

"We can now focus on the most important issue: making electric vehicles successful, something we both are passionate about," said Eberhard.

Bottom Line : At Tesla, Musk and Eberhard are suddenly such good friends - SFGate.com

 

[doug]

Electric carmaker Tesla, former CEO settle lawsuit | Industries | Consumer Goods & Retail | Reuters

DETROIT, Sept 21 (Reuters) - Electric car manufacturer Tesla Motors and a former executive have settled a legal dispute that stemmed from the company's early struggles to launch a battery-powered sports car, the company said on Monday.
...

 

[doug]

Tesla Motors founders: Now there are five | Green Tech - CNET News

On Monday, a Tesla representative said that Eberhard and other principals in the dispute have come to an agreement. The company did not reveal any details of the resolution, except to say that there are now five, rather than two, agreed-upon "founders" of Tesla.

In addition to Eberhard, other founders include current CEO and chief product architect Elon Musk, current chief technology JB Straubel, Marc Tarpenning, and Ian Wright.