On a crucial earnings call, Musk reminds the world Tesla is a tech company. ‘Even if I’m kidnapped by aliens tomorrow, Tesla will solve autonomy’

Fortune— After a dismal quarter for Tesla, CEO Elon Musk tried to reassure investors the company’s real value was its effort to perfect self-driving cars.

Fast Company—Elon Musk's Tesla earnings call has become a cultural event. Branded is a weekly column devoted to the intersection of marketing, business, design, and culture. Love him or hate him, Elon Musk attracts as much attention as any CEO in memory. The latest example: this week’s Tesla earnings call, an obligatory event that at times seemed to be anticipated as a borderline cultural happening. Of course, a public company with a whopping market cap like Tesla’s will draw plenty of investor interest in its latest numbers. Of course, there were the usual...

NBC News—Tesla doubts reach fever pitch as earnings show 9% quarterly loss for Musk-led company. Tesla’s stock jumped about 8% in after-hours trading Tuesday after the electric vehicle giant reported its steepest annual revenue drop in over a decade. Despite softer sales and a growing chorus of skeptics about CEO Elon Musk’s focus on the company, investors cheered its vow to "accelerate the launch of new models," likely including more affordable ones like the long-awaited low-cost Model 2. "They need to adjust to a new environment," Dan Ives, managing director at Wedbush Securities...

MarketWatch—Tesla earnings: Stock surges as Musk says affordable EV still in Tesla's future. Earnings miss notwithstanding, momentum continued to build for Tesla's stock, which was rallying 11% in after hours trading. That's in large part because the EV maker said it plans on adding to its lineup and marketing a cheaper EV as early as next year, while investing in robotaxis as well. These