Tesla CEO Musk Drops Pursuit of $72 Billion Take-Private Deal

Tesla CEO Musk Drops Pursuit of $72 Billion Take-Private Deal
Tesla Motors Inc Chief Executive Elon Musk pauses during a news conference in Tokyo Sep. 8, 2014. Toru Hanai/Reuters
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Tesla Inc Chief Executive Elon Musk said late on August 24 he would heed shareholder concerns and no longer pursue a $72 billion deal to take the luxury electric car maker private, abandoning an idea that stunned investors and drew regulatory scrutiny.

The decision to leave Tesla as a publicly listed company raises new questions about its future. Tesla shares have been trading well below their August 7 levels when Musk announced on Twitter that he was considering taking Tesla private for $420 per share, as investors wondered what this meant for Musk’s ability to steer the company to profitability.