Noble Ninja: I believe that Curt's hypothesis is plausible, and even likely. Much of what happens on Wall Street right now are computer algorithm battles, or what I like to call "Bot bash" (robots beating each other up). A lot of big players also got trashed when shorting TSLA last year, so you can be sure that the bot masters will be out for revenge to recoup huge losses.
As for SEC and regulations, one of my "first principles" is that technology and innovation always outrun the government's ability to regulate. We see this in Tesla. The struggle over Tesla stores, early confusion over emissions tests for EVs during inspections, and questions over how to tax miles driven on a car that uses no gas are all examples of how previous rules fell way behind new tech. Stock price manipulation through bot action is something that government officials will struggle to understand and control.
I am a realist so I believe in dealing with situations as they are, which basically means refusing to play the bot game. I don't recommend short term investing in TSLA as the bot bashes cause too much volatility. Buy and hold for the long term: Generation 3/Model E and mainstream acceptance of EVs, 2019 to early 2020's. Have fun analyzing short term stuff, but never trade based on random swings.