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Tesla Faces FBI Probe Over Model 3 Production Numbers (cnbc.com)

A new report from The Wall Street Journal says the FBI is reviewing Tesla's Model 3 production numbers as part of an ongoing criminal probe into whether the company misled investors. "Federal agents are reviewing Tesla's stated Model 3 numbers dating back to early 2017, the Journal reports, citing unnamed sources," CNBC reports. From the report: Tesla had previously said it provided documents to the Department of Justice regarding CEO Elon Musk's controversial take-private tweet -- a blunder that ultimately cost Tesla and Musk a combined $40 million in fraud settlement fees. Now Tesla says it also provided information to the Department of Justice regarding Musk's public statements regarding production numbers of its Model 3 sedan. Tesla says the company has not received "a subpoena, a request for testimony, or any other formal process," but the Journal reported Friday that former Tesla employees have received subpoenas and requests for testimony.

52 of 143 comments (clear)

  1. Elon Musk will soon learn... by DanDD · · Score: 1, Offtopic

    ... the value of political contributions and tolerating Trump's 'Business' panel.

    https://www.theguardian.com/te...

    --
    "Every time I see an adult on a bicycle, I no longer despair for the future of the human race." - H. G. Wells
    1. Re: Elon Musk will soon learn... by WindBourne · · Score: 1

      Why? This is not Nazi Germany. Well, not yet.

      --
      I prefer the "u" in honour as it seems to be missing these days.
    2. Re:Elon Musk will soon learn... by Snuggles · · Score: 1

      Just like in Soviet States.

    3. Re: Elon Musk will soon learn... by superdave80 · · Score: 1

      FBI can't investigate a rape properly...

      Given that there were no allegations of rape against Kavanaugh, I'm not sure what you are referring to.

      ...but they can investigate Tesla to find out if they're making as many cars as they say they are?

      So.... the FBI is never allowed to investigate ANYTHING ever again because you think they didn't handle some other investigation properly? OK.

  2. Re:Don't investigate Trump's middle east holdings by DontBeAMoran · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Musk didn't cut any corners. He simply used "border-radius: 8px".

    --
    #DeleteFacebook
  3. Re:Maybe citizens will soon learn... by DontBeAMoran · · Score: 2

    There needs to be a Separation of Business and State.

    And yet there is an orange muppet who was a business man all his life, had never done any politics before and is now the president of the U.S.A.

    --
    #DeleteFacebook
  4. Re:Don't investigate Trump's middle east holdings by gravewax · · Score: 2

    Both are serious issues, both should be investigated.

  5. Early 2017 Model 3 Numbers, 0 by blazerw · · Score: 3, Informative

    Sounds like "fake news" from shorts if they're asking about Model 3 production numbers before Model 3 production started. According to Wikipedia, first Model 3 came off line in July 2017. While that is 2017 and it isn't late 2017, it's definitely not early 2017.
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...

    1. Re:Early 2017 Model 3 Numbers, 0 by Anubis+IV · · Score: 1

      In skimming the CNBC article for an answer, it looks like the issue is regarding production goals, rather than production itself. I.e. did they knowingly make unrealistic claims regarding their production goals. So, not exactly fake news, but definitely not a clear picture of what's going on from the snippet in the summary.

    2. Re:Early 2017 Model 3 Numbers, 0 by cheesybagel · · Score: 1

      In any company with leading edge tech or new products any production goals are tentative. Intel has issues with production yields with new processes for example and quite often the yield rate is only told a long time after the fact as the information can be used by competitors and determines price signals.

    3. Re:Early 2017 Model 3 Numbers, 0 by sexconker · · Score: 2

      And knowingly lying about them can get you into serious shit.

    4. Re:Early 2017 Model 3 Numbers, 0 by yodleboy · · Score: 2

      There's a big difference between announcing a reachable goal but not reaching it and actually announcing a goal you KNOW in advance is unreachable.

    5. Re:Early 2017 Model 3 Numbers, 0 by Aighearach · · Score: 2

      Only privately held companies are allowed to reach for the sky! Welcome to Trumplandia.

  6. Revenge Of The Short Sellers by Zorro · · Score: 1

    Since when is a profit on stock s a right?

    1. Re:Revenge Of The Short Sellers by DanDD · · Score: 1

      While bicycling through my neighborhood yesterday I almost crashed into a Tesla that was backing out of a driveway. The lack of engine and exhaust noise did seem like some kind of fraud....

      --
      "Every time I see an adult on a bicycle, I no longer despair for the future of the human race." - H. G. Wells
    2. Re:Revenge Of The Short Sellers by NicknameUnavailable · · Score: 1

      Since when are short sellers people?

  7. Re:Maybe citizens will soon learn... by DCFusor · · Score: 1

    Yes, there does need to be more separation between business and state. Even Eisenhower noticed how the MICC was becoming much too powerful, and that was before Citizen's United allowed the "campaign finance reform" law that two people, otherwise "traitors" to their parties stated platforms sponsored. Now they don't even have to hide the fact that they buy laws - you know, like "you have to read it to find out (what the insurance companies put) in it. That's pretty blatant, but it's just an example. For the 5 or so decades I've been a grownup, it's only gotten worse and worse for any but big money - see the Gini coefficient for one example. Laws have added to the natural advantage big money already has, the network advantage it already has, and even what were once innovators now clamor for more regulation that they easily satisfy out of their pocket change, but which locks out any upstart. Even tax laws. Those double sandwiches are just as legal for me or you as the big firms - but you have to have an office in a couple countries, and it can't be just a PO box, you have to pay someone. Nothing to them, more than I make to me. When you can't see the line between oligarchy and government, that's the very definition of Fascism (which is these days used to mean totalitarianism by the ignorant of history and, well, the English language). And here we are - we have a government that doesn't respond to the will of the people beyond trying to push the will of the people to accept what it's going to do anyway. And studies about it are pretty obviously true - gross, but true. Until people recognize this, and stop the partisan bullshit, realize that it's all of them that are corrupted, we won't move ahead - other than the old fashioned way, watering that tree... There's more than one of these out there - and while you might not like the source (I don't care) - truth is truth no matter who speaks it. You basically cannot refute we live in a place that has the best laws money can buy - and it's been that way a long time now. https://www.cambridge.org/core...

    --
    Why guess when you can know? Measure!
  8. Why the FBI? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    This sounds more like it would be the jurisdiction of the SEC, unless they found potential criminal activity beyond just allegedly misleading investors.

    1. Re:Why the FBI? by Areyoukiddingme · · Score: 1

      This sounds more like it would be the jurisdiction of the SEC, unless they found potential criminal activity beyond just allegedly misleading investors.

      It pays to have friends in low places.

    2. Re:Why the FBI? by gravewax · · Score: 2

      It is the jurisdiction of BOTH. SEC does any civil actions required, the FBI/DOJ conduct any criminal investigations and charges.

  9. Re:Big oil strikes again by 110010001000 · · Score: 4, Informative

    You mean like the Saudis, who own 5% of Tesla?

  10. Re:Maybe citizens will soon learn... by DanDD · · Score: 1
    --
    "Every time I see an adult on a bicycle, I no longer despair for the future of the human race." - H. G. Wells
  11. Re:Maybe citizens will soon learn... by DCFusor · · Score: 1

    Actually, I'm a Volt guy with a valid argument, not an NPC with ad-hom (oh wait). Which you can't respond to in kind because I'm right. What a bunch of crap it is that it's bad when one person does it but not another - that's what whataboutism is all about, you know - the lame attempt to justify double standards. Frankly I an dissapointed in the government who did the space race and implied I'd maybe be able to buy a ride before I got old, but it turned out that it was only just another dick waving contest between countries and in no way in support of our dreams. Just a come on, a tease, and which, BTW greatly enriched those entities you are defending with a claim of whataboutism. You do realize how lame that is, right? I'm even using my real identity.

    --
    Why guess when you can know? Measure!
  12. Straw man. Also, you're just wrong. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Your parent never said government has no business asserting power over individuals, so your reply is a logical fallacy known as a "straw man".

    Next, it's possible for 2 individuals to agree that the contract which binds their behavior will be arbitrated and enforced by the government, making such arbitration and enforcement by the government a perfectly voluntary interaction.

    However, as an aside, one can see that the government need not play a special role here either; why should this one particular organization ("government") be the arbitrator? The individuals in question could agree to another arbitrator. Well, this point is just too much for most of you NPCs to grasp, so let's not go there.

  13. Re:NIGGER LOVE! by SWPadnos · · Score: 1

    ...

    But then I researched the term Giggity, (I haven't watched television, except Firefly and Agents of Shield, in almost two decades) and now the AC response makes perfect sense.

    ...

    You might try The Expanse. It's the best TV I've seen in a very very long time.

    --
    - The Sigless Wonder
  14. Re:NIGGER LOVE! by DanDD · · Score: 1

    Cool, it's on Amazon Prime, thanks!

    --
    "Every time I see an adult on a bicycle, I no longer despair for the future of the human race." - H. G. Wells
  15. Re: Maybe citizens will soon learn... by Type44Q · · Score: 1, Funny
    Henceforth, you shall be known as "No Comma Faggot." Or possibly the "No Comma Faggot Faggot."

    I'll let you know when I decide.

  16. Re:Maybe citizens will soon learn... by DanDD · · Score: 1

    Here’s a better video faggot.

    That seems to be a video of idiots driving poorly, mostly in Teslas. Last I checked, idiots (before incarceration and/or death) are free to drive whatever they want.

    Are you suggesting that Tesla drivers are predominately idiots? If so, I see a lot of idiot driver and crash videos for pretty much every make of car.

    So please, clarify...

    --
    "Every time I see an adult on a bicycle, I no longer despair for the future of the human race." - H. G. Wells
  17. Re:This is getting ridiculous. Fucking Wall Street by BlueStrat · · Score: 3, Informative

    They'd do ANYTHING to get rid of Musk. Even resorting to getting the FBI in there to "find" something... "anything, dear god, please, anything!".
    Next up: "Musk found dead from 39 bullet shot wounds and his head being chopped of by an axe. Death ruled an 'accident'."

    "Yep, worst case of suicide we ever saw! Poor soul, he was just too high-strung." -- Combined Aerospace, Automobile, and Energy Industry Interests.

    Musk is an existential threat to the established industries in those sectors as well as to those in government who get all those fat corporate contributions from them.

    Tesla Model 3/Falcon9FalconHeavy/PowerWall == Tucker Tornado x 3.

    Go read about what the government, in collusion with established manufacturers, did to Tucker and Tucker Motors while keeping in mind he only threatened *one* major industrial sector's established players and that the government is at least as corrupt today as then, if not more so.

    Strat

    --
    Progressivism (aka US 'Liberalism'): Ideas so good they need a police/surveillance-state to enforce.
  18. Market Manipulation by seoras · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Has there ever been a company which has had to endure as much media sponsored market manipulation as Tesla?
    Two days ago the news headline was:
    "Tesla reports surprise profit, stock surges. Tesla reported its third-ever profit in its eight years as a public company. This exceeded average analyst expectations of losses of 15 cents per share on revenue of $6.32 billion."
    Today more speculative drama chipping away at its integrity and success.

    Did that "stock surge" burn someone? Did someone think "oh dear, I was wrong, I should have gotten in earlier" or are the shorties still dreaming they can topple it?

    1. Re:Market Manipulation by AmiMoJo · · Score: 1

      That's what happens when your CEO posts lots of internal information on Twitter. Musk is the one making public promises about production targets, forthcoming features and the like. Most companies keep quiet about such things until they are ready to put out a press release after the numbers have been met or the product is on sale.

      --
      const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
      SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
  19. Re:Money is speech. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    When Romney famously said "Corporations are People", what you leftists heard was "A corporation is a person"

    They actually are. This was an important medieval invention. It's definitely not "what leftists hear".

  20. Re: Maybe citizens will soon learn... by DanDD · · Score: 1

    That was genuinely funny, thank you for that :)

    --
    "Every time I see an adult on a bicycle, I no longer despair for the future of the human race." - H. G. Wells
  21. Just appreciate the tech. by wolfheart111 · · Score: 1

    Manufacturers money they may be loosing is worth it for them, if for anything else but the entertainment value of Musk's' new tech he develops. seriously couldn't say this about anyone else.

    --
    [($)]
  22. Wonder what they are investigating by 140Mandak262Jamuna · · Score: 2
    Tesla never releases any official production number. It is so tight with information about production. What little it reveals is in the quarterly earnings call. Bloomberg actually built an "estimator" for the production using some crowdsourced info gathering.

    It does not release monthly figures, it does not give country wide break up...

    --
    sed -e 's/Chuck Norris/Rajnikant/g' joke > fact
    1. Re:Wonder what they are investigating by beckett · · Score: 1

      production can be inferred from customers reporting VINs.

    2. Re:Wonder what they are investigating by 140Mandak262Jamuna · · Score: 4, Informative
      You can infer production rate. That is speculation on your part. Why would they investigate Tesla for your speculation?

      It is illegal if they made X cars but reported X+Y cars.

      It would be illegal to give an inflated forecast about production rate knowingly. It would be very hard to prove Tesla knew it is going to miss production deadlines and still misrepresented the issue. With all that talk about production hell, and sleeping in the factory etc, they made no effort to conceal the problems they had in production.

      --
      sed -e 's/Chuck Norris/Rajnikant/g' joke > fact
  23. Conveniently released by EnsilZah · · Score: 4, Informative

    The story is old news and Tesla made a statement they haven't received any subpoenas from the DOJ.

    The story was conveniently (for some) released as the stock was hitting +8% in a bear market, and it promptly dropped to around 0% for the day.
    After about 20 minutes the market realized the story was bullshit and the stock continued to rise 5% by closing time, but the doubt has been sowed and momentum slowed.

  24. Re: This is getting ridiculous. Fucking Wall Stree by gringer · · Score: 1

    Tesla Model 3 Is #1 Top Selling American Car In USA

    https://cleantechnica.com/2018...

    The only three cars that sold more than this American success story were the Toyota Camry, Honda Accord, and Honda Civic.

    --
    Ask me about repetitive DNA
  25. Re:Maybe citizens will soon learn... by hackertourist · · Score: 1

    There is a massive disparity in power and resources between large companies and individuals. It's far too easy for a company to bury individual lawsuits in paperwork until the opposition has exhausted its resources.

    There also needs to be a level playing field: there must be boundaries that are the same for every company, or you get the unhealthy situation that the company most willing to damage its surroundings outcompetes its competitors.

    There can't be a separation of business and state. Businesses have too often shown themselves to be willing to screw everyone else to be left to their own devices.

    The government's role is to protect life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness of each individual in the face of forces too large for the individual to handle. It's role also includes protecting the life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness of the collective.

    Libertarian Utopia is just that: an unrealistic dream.

  26. Re:"We need government to save us from government! by hackertourist · · Score: 1

    Lawsuits aren't handled by "governmental" courts. In first-world countries, great care is taken to make the judiciary independent of the government.
    Private arbitration is a company's wet dream. They get to stack the deck in their favor and if the arbitration is binding, there's no legal recourse either.

    The real world has rejected your notion of 'freedom'. In every civilized country government and judiciary keep individual and corporate greed in check.

    The nice thing about government as it's set up today is that it requires no unusual virtue. There are checks and balances in place on every government function. Is this ideal? No. Is it much better than the free-for-all you're dreaming of? You bet.

  27. Re:This is getting ridiculous. Fucking Wall Street by drinkypoo · · Score: 1

    There is so much money at stake its surprising that they havent just gone ahead and murdered musk.

    Musk's cult of personality is keeping him alive. Kind of like Snowden, or Assange. Staying in the news keeps him relevant.

    --
    "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
  28. Re:Fraud by LynnwoodRooster · · Score: 1

    Somehow they "made" ~$300MM in profit, but their cash position improved by $730MM? Either they didn't pay ~$430MM in bills (keeping the money in the bank to increase their cash position) or they lied about one of the numbers. If your salary for the month is bumped up $10,000 you don't magically get an extra $25,000 in your bank account.

    My guess is they withheld significant payments to vendors near the end of Q3, so their cash position not only looks really good, but they could claim a profit (not having those expenses officially booked); they probably lost ~$430MM last quarter, when all is said and done - and they are trying to generate enough interest and stock price to make the coming $157MM in bond payments hurt as little as possible.

    --
    Browsing at +1 - no ACs, I ignore their posts. So refreshing!
  29. Re: This is getting ridiculous. Fucking Wall Stree by LynnwoodRooster · · Score: 1

    Yes, Camrys, Accords, and Civics outsell the Model 3 in sales. But that's just cars - what the US buys now is trucks and SUVs, and for that, it's led by Ford who sells one F series pickup every 35 seconds. Consumers in the US have been moving away from cars for a long time, and the fact is that even Toyota and Honda sell more SUVs and trucks in the US than cars. Of the top 12 vehicles sold (of which Tesla does not break the ranks of), three are for cars - the other 9 (including the top 6) are trucks and SUVs. But if you want to crow about the "4th best selling car in the US", by all means - go for it!

    As far as success story, Q3 Tesla claims to have made ~$330MM in profit (even though their cash flow position increased by $700MM - were bills not paid?). Ford did about $1B in profit for Q3, and GM is expected to do around $1.8B in profit, for the quarter - without any curious increase in cash position that doesn't correlate with earned profit (how do you make $330MM in profit but your cash position increased by over double that amount, unless you're not paying out everything you're supposed to?)

    --
    Browsing at +1 - no ACs, I ignore their posts. So refreshing!
  30. Re:"We need government to save us from government! by superdave80 · · Score: 1

    Lawsuits aren't handled by "governmental" courts. In first-world countries, great care is taken to make the judiciary independent of the government.

    You're kidding, right? The courts are most definitely part of the government. In the US, the Constitution clearly states it is one of the three branches of government. Judges are selected and approved by the other two branches.

    Did you mean that great care is taken to make the judiciary independent of political influence?

  31. Re: This is getting ridiculous. Fucking Wall Stree by BlueStrat · · Score: 1

    As far as success story, Q3 Tesla claims to have made ~$330MM in profit (even though their cash flow position increased by $700MM - were bills not paid?). Ford did about $1B in profit for Q3, and GM is expected to do around $1.8B in profit, for the quarter - without any curious increase in cash position that doesn't correlate with earned profit (how do you make $330MM in profit but your cash position increased by over double that amount, unless you're not paying out everything you're supposed to?)

    Capital expenditures. Auto manufacturing is an extremely capital-intensive heavy industry. Tesla is still growing rapidly, making huge capital investments and paying for previous capital expenditures.

    Go back and look at nearly any capital-intensive heavy industry at the same point in time from their beginning. They were nearly all deeply in debt and were not yet showing a profit despite most not having the level of competition and heavy-handed regulation Tesla faces from mature businesses and government.

    Quite frankly it's amazing as hell Tesla is still in business at all, never mind showing any profit whatsoever in the hostile economic/financial/regulatory/competitive world in which it was created and exists currently.

    Strat

    --
    Progressivism (aka US 'Liberalism'): Ideas so good they need a police/surveillance-state to enforce.
  32. Re: Maybe citizens will soon learn... by ooshna · · Score: 1

    You didn't name any policies they have or how long. You also pick the easiest low hanging fruit to go to say socialism sucks. Also picking a country whose economy is ran on oil but also gets completely fucked by the US in any way it can be. What about universal healthcare in Canada? Or maybe free college like Germany? Oh you can't use those examples because they are first world countries actually doing well. Instead you pick a third world shit hole and go see its socialist and its shit so that means all of socialism is shit.

  33. Re: This is getting ridiculous. Fucking Wall Stree by Local+ID10T · · Score: 1

    Whatabout if we move the goalposts over HERE!
    ( Two fallacies in one post! Good Job.)

    Your beliefs are blinding you to reality. Tesla is doing pretty well. Deal with it.

    --
    "You want to know how to help your kids? Leave them the fuck alone." -George Carlin
  34. Re: This is getting ridiculous. Fucking Wall Stree by LynnwoodRooster · · Score: 1

    So, let's make this really simple. You have $1.4 billion in the bank. You make $330 million in profit. How much do you now have? HINT: If the answer is $2.1 billion, something wasn't fully accounted for...

    --
    Browsing at +1 - no ACs, I ignore their posts. So refreshing!
  35. Re: This is getting ridiculous. Fucking Wall Stree by BlueStrat · · Score: 1

    I'll make it even simpler.

    Without being able to see Tesla's ledgers, any speculation...good or bad...is just that; speculation.

    Strat

    --
    Progressivism (aka US 'Liberalism'): Ideas so good they need a police/surveillance-state to enforce.
  36. Re: This is getting ridiculous. Fucking Wall Stree by LynnwoodRooster · · Score: 1

    Yep. And it may very well be some financial incongruities which are causing the FBI to probe...

    --
    Browsing at +1 - no ACs, I ignore their posts. So refreshing!
  37. Re:Fraud by Whorhay · · Score: 1

    They could have converted some other assets to cash. For instance, stockpiles of parts used to assemble Model 3's.