Who Founded Tesla? The 5 Official Co-Founders (2026)

Who founded Tesla? Martin Eberhard and Marc Tarpenning incorporated Tesla Motors on July 1, 2003 in San Carlos, California. Elon Musk did not start the company: he joined in February 2004 as chairman and lead investor and became CEO in October 2008. The people who “invented” Tesla are usually counted as five: Eberhard, Tarpenning, Ian Wright, Musk and JB Straubel, because a 2009 settlement lets all five call themselves co-founders.

Who Founded Tesla? The Short Answer

Search results for this question often give a single name, but the honest answer has three layers. Incorporated the company: Eberhard and Tarpenning, in 2003. Funded and chaired it: Musk, from February 2004. Allowed to use the title co-founder: all five, since the 2009 settlement. Nobody “invented the electric car” at Tesla either: electric cars existed long before 2003, and what the founders did was start a company to build a fast, desirable one.

Facts on this page come from Wikipedia’s articles on Tesla, Inc., the history of Tesla, the Roadster and the individual founders, read for this update. Where a date comes from a press report, we say so, and anything time-sensitive is marked “as of” a date.

Tesla Founders Timeline: Who Did What and When

The table below puts the dates in one place. It is the part most pages on this topic leave out, and it shows why the story is not a single-founder story.

Date	Event	Who
July 1, 2003	Tesla Motors incorporated in San Carlos, California	Martin Eberhard, Marc Tarpenning
A few months later (2003)	Joins as the third employee	Ian Wright
February 2004	Series A round of about $7.5 million, of which Musk put in $6.5 million; Musk becomes chairman	Elon Musk
May 2004	Joins as the fifth employee	JB Straubel
July 11, 2005	Contract signed with Group Lotus to supply Roadster chassis	Tesla, Lotus
August 2007	Board asks Eberhard to step down as CEO	Tesla board
Late 2007	Eberhard moves to an advisory role (press release dated November 30, 2007)	Martin Eberhard
February 2008	First Roadster delivered; series production begins March 17, 2008	Tesla
October 2008	Musk becomes CEO, succeeding Ze’ev Drori	Elon Musk
June 2009	Eberhard files suit against Musk and Tesla; he drops it in August	Martin Eberhard
September 2009	Settlement lets all five call themselves co-founders	All five
2012	Model S sales begin	Tesla
July 28, 2017	First Model 3 deliveries event	Tesla

The Origins Of Tesla Motors

Eberhard and Tarpenning were not newcomers to starting companies. They had already co-founded NuvoMedia, the maker of the Rocket eBook, which Gemstar bought in 2000. When they started Tesla Motors in 2003, the idea was an electric sports car that would appeal to drivers, not only to people who wanted to save fuel. Eberhard, in a statement reported on Wikipedia, described the goal as building a car manufacturer that is also a technology company.

Ian Wright arrived a few months later as the third employee, and JB Straubel became the fifth employee in 2004. Musk’s money arrived in the middle of that: the February 2004 Series A raised roughly $7.5 million, and Wikipedia’s history of Tesla puts Musk’s share at $6.5 million, which made him the largest investor and the chairman.

Martin Eberhard and Marc Tarpenning: The Two Who Incorporated Tesla

Martin Eberhard was Tesla’s first CEO. The board asked him to step down in August 2007, and Tesla’s press release of November 30, 2007 announced his move to an advisory role. Reports at the time differed on how that happened: Fortune reported in December 2007 that Musk had asked him to leave, while the company framed it as a transition. Eberhard later told CNBC (October 2019) that he was still a Tesla shareholder.

Marc Tarpenning served as chief financial officer and as a vice president of engineering. He left Tesla in 2008. The two men had previously worked together at NuvoMedia, and Tarpenning was Eberhard’s partner from the first day of Tesla Motors.

Ian Wright and JB Straubel: The Early Engineers

Ian Wright was the third employee and is counted among the five co-founders. His own Wikipedia page says he left Tesla to pursue his own ideas, and he went on to found Wrightspeed, which built electric powertrain kits for commercial trucks and is now listed as Revo Powertrains in Alameda, California. Wikipedia gives no exact dates for when he joined or left Tesla.

JB Straubel joined in 2004 as the fifth employee and became Tesla’s first chief technical officer, a post he held until he moved to an advisory role in July 2019. He founded Redwood Materials in 2017 and was elected to Tesla’s board as an independent director in May 2023. Wikipedia notes that, as a result of the court settlement, he is legally considered a co-founder.

Co-founder	Joined	Role at Tesla	Later, per Wikipedia
Martin Eberhard	2003 (founder)	First CEO, stepped down 2007	Later founded inEVit (2016) and Tiveni (2019)
Marc Tarpenning	2003 (founder)	CFO and VP of engineering	Left Tesla in 2008
Ian Wright	2003 (third employee)	Early employee	Founded Wrightspeed (now Revo Powertrains)
Elon Musk	February 2004	Chairman and lead investor; CEO from October 2008	Listed as CEO as of October 2026
JB Straubel	May 2004 (fifth employee)	First CTO, to July 2019	Founded Redwood Materials in 2017; Tesla board member since May 2023

Elon Musk’s Role In Shaping Tesla

Musk’s role is where most of the confusion comes from. He was not part of the 2003 incorporation. He led the funding round, became chairman, and in October 2008 took over as CEO after Ze’ev Drori. As of October 2026, he is still listed as the company’s CEO.

The founder title was disputed. Eberhard sued Musk and Tesla in June 2009 for libel, slander and breach of contract, dropped the suit in August, and Tesla confirmed a settlement in September 2009. Under it, all five early figures may call themselves co-founders. That is a legal and branding outcome, not a statement about who was in the room in 2003, which is why this page separates “incorporated” from “co-founder”.

Under Musk, Tesla widened beyond cars, a shift we cover in does Tesla make gas cars. For where that fits in the bigger picture, see when gas-powered cars might be phased out.

The Roadster: A Milestone In Electric Vehicle History

Tesla’s first car was the Roadster. Group Lotus supplied the chassis (a “glider”, meaning the car without its powertrain) under a contract signed on July 11, 2005, and the first car was delivered in February 2008, with series production starting March 17, 2008. Tesla delivered about 2,450 Roadsters worldwide between February 2008 and December 2012. Production ended in January 2012 when the supply of Lotus-built gliders ran out.

Roadster fact	Figure (per Wikipedia)
Production years	2008 to 2012
Units delivered	About 2,450, February 2008 to December 2012
Battery	53 kWh pack of 6,831 lithium-ion cells (18650 format)
0 to 60 mph	3.9 seconds standard; 3.7 seconds for the 2.5 Sport
EPA range	221 to 244 miles depending on configuration
Price range	About $98,950 to $128,500 across models

A common myth is that the Roadster was just a Lotus Elise with a battery. It did start from the Elise chassis, but Wikipedia records Musk saying only about 7 percent of parts ended up in common. The battery pack, motor and power electronics were Tesla’s own work.

If you want to know how those battery cells are put together into packs today, our guide on how electric car batteries are made explains it, and whether electric car plugs are universal covers charging connectors. For another EV maker’s story, see why BYD cars are not sold in the US.

Tesla Is Named After Nikola Tesla

The company is named as a tribute to Nikola Tesla, born July 10, 1856 in Smiljan (then in the Austrian Empire, now Croatia) and died January 7, 1943 in New York City. He is known for the AC induction motor and his polyphase AC patents. He died sixty years before the company was incorporated, so he had no role in it.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who created the Tesla car?

Tesla Motors was incorporated on July 1, 2003 by Martin Eberhard and Marc Tarpenning. Elon Musk joined in February 2004 as chairman and lead investor, and a 2009 settlement lets all five early figures (Eberhard, Tarpenning, Musk, JB Straubel and Ian Wright) call themselves co-founders.

When was the first Tesla car released?

The first Tesla car was the Roadster. The first car was delivered in February 2008 (to Elon Musk, per Wikipedia), and regular series production began on March 17, 2008.

What was the first Tesla model?

The Tesla Roadster. Its chassis was supplied by Lotus under a contract signed on July 11, 2005, and it carried a 53 kWh pack of 6,831 lithium-ion cells in the common 18650 format.

Who is the CEO of Tesla?

As of October 2026, Elon Musk is listed as CEO of Tesla, Inc. He became CEO in October 2008, succeeding Ze’ev Drori, after joining the company as chairman and lead investor in February 2004.

Is Tesla named after Nikola Tesla?

Yes. The company is named as a tribute to Nikola Tesla (1856 to 1943), the inventor known for the AC induction motor and polyphase AC patents. He died 60 years before Tesla Motors was incorporated, so he had no part in founding it.

Was Elon Musk a founder, or just an investor?

Both, in a legal sense. Musk was not there when Tesla Motors was incorporated in July 2003. He joined in February 2004 by leading the Series A round and becoming chairman. After a 2009 dispute with Martin Eberhard was settled, all five people (Eberhard, Tarpenning, Wright, Musk and Straubel) are allowed to call themselves co-founders.

Conclusion

Tesla was started by Martin Eberhard and Marc Tarpenning in July 2003, funded and chaired by Elon Musk from February 2004, and shaped by early engineers Ian Wright and JB Straubel. Because of the 2009 settlement, all five can be called co-founders, but only two incorporated the company. Dates and roles above come from Wikipedia as read for this update, so check Tesla’s own filings if you need an exact citation, and note that CEO status is as of October 2026.