Elon Musk Reportedly Demanded to Become Apple CEO as Part of Potential Tesla Acquisition [Update: Musk Denies]
Tesla CEO Elon Musk reportedly once demanded that he be made Apple CEO in a brief discussion of a potential acquisition with Apple's current CEO, Tim Cook. The claim comes in a new book titled "Power Play: Tesla, Elon Musk and the Bet of the Century," as reviewed by The Los Angeles Times.
According to the book, during a 2016 phone call between Musk and Cook that touched on the possibility of Apple purchasing Tesla, Musk told Cook that a purchase of Telsa by Apple could only go forward if he became CEO of the combined company.
Apple Chief Executive Tim Cook and Tesla Chief Executive Elon Musk are talking on the phone. The 2016 unveiling of the make-it-or-break-it Model 3 is coming soon, but Tesla is in serious financial trouble. Cook has an idea: Apple buys Tesla.
Musk is interested, but one condition: “I’m CEO.”
Sure, says Cook. When Apple bought Beats in 2014, it kept on the founders, Jimmy Iovine and Dr. Dre.
No, Musk says. Apple. Apple CEO.
“F— you” Cook says and hangs up.
Elon Musk has previously claimed that he once reached out to Tim Cook to "discuss the possibility of Apple acquiring Tesla." Cook, according to Musk, declined to take the meeting. The new book claims that while a meeting never took place, a phone call between the two CEOs did. It is worth noting, however, that during an interview with The New York Times' Kara Swisher in April, Cook said he had never spoken to Musk but has "great admiration and respect" for Tesla.
Update: In a tweet, Elon Musk is denying the contents of the book, calling it both "false and boring."
Update 2: Musk has shared another tweet explicitly denying that he and Cook have ever spoken or written to each other, reiterating his statements from months ago that he had at one point requested a meeting with Cook to discuss the possibility of Apple acquiring Tesla but that Cook refused the meeting.
Related Stories
Apple CEO Tim Cook is in New York City today for a meeting with Margrethe Vestager, the European Commissioner for Competition, according to a person familiar with the matter. Vestager was a keynote speaker at Fordham University's annual Conference on International Antitrust Law and Policy earlier today.
It's unclear when Cook and Vestager are scheduled to meet or what topics will be on the...
On this day ten years ago, Steve Jobs resigned as CEO of the company he built and officially named Tim Cook as Apple's new head. Two months later, Steve Jobs passed away and the future of Apple lay solely on the shoulders of Tim Cook.
Tim Cook took over Apple at a turbulent time when Jobs was battling pancreatic cancer and the company's future seemed uncertain. Questions were widespread...
Wednesday September 15, 2021 10:20 am PDT by
Juli CloverApple CEO Tim Cook is one of the 100 Most Influential People of 2021 according to TIME's newly published rankings. TIME shares an annual list highlighting world leaders, celebrities, tech company executives, authors, musicians, athletes, and more, and this is not the first time Cook has been celebrated.
This year's list is broken up into categories that include Icons, Pioneers, Titans,...
In a long and extensive interview with the Australian Financial Review, Apple CEO Tim Cook discussed many topics, from Apple's core values on privacy, the importance of user trust, his morning routine, App Store regulation, and more.
The interview, conducted in July, is in celebration of the Financial Review's 70th anniversary. Cook begins the interview by sharing his morning routine, noting ...
Apple CEO Tim Cook is set to join other tech executives in a cybersecurity meeting with U.S. President Joe Biden next week, reports Bloomberg.
The meeting will focus on the efforts by private companies to improve cybersecurity following a surge in online attacks over the course of the last year, an official familiar with the event told Bloomberg.The executives could discuss efforts...
Thursday August 26, 2021 8:13 am PDT by
Sami FathiDays after celebrating his tenth anniversary at Apple's helm, Tim Cook is poised to receive a whopping $750 million of Apple's stock this week as the final installment of his pay deal with Apple, put in place over a decade ago when he took over the company, Bloomberg reports.
The installment will consist of 5 million shares of Apple's stock, equating to be around worth $750 million,...
Thursday September 23, 2021 12:25 pm PDT by
Juli CloverApple CEO Tim Cook, Utah Jazz owners Ryan and Ashley Smith, and Imagine Dragons lead singer Dan Reynolds and his wife recording artist Aja Volkman are set to headline a fundraising dinner on October 13 that will benefit LGBTQ+ youth services non-profit Encircle.
Encircle provides mental health services for LGBTQ+ youth and their families. Back in February, Encircle launched a "$8 Million, 8...
Wednesday October 6, 2021 2:07 am PDT by
Sami FathiIn a new interview, Apple CEO Tim Cook said he's worried about the "endless, mindless scrolling" behavior that social media inspires people to undertake and is generally concerned that people are "using technology too much."
The interview conducted with Bustle touched heavily on Apple's support of Shine, an app designed to fight social stigmas around mental health issues and is "another...
Apple CEO Tim Cook has fallen to eighth place on a list of the highest-paid CEOs and executives in the United States last year despite earning more than the previous year, according to Bloomberg.
Cook was paid $265 million in 2020, mainly comprising stock awards and a bonus as in previous years, making him the eighth highest-paid executive in the United States. Last year, Cook was paid...
Today is the one of the last days of the Epic Games v. Apple trial, and Apple CEO Tim Cook has taken the stand to ask questions levied by both Apple and Epic lawyers.
Cook's testimony won't be integral to the outcome of the trial, but what he has to say is of interest because this is the first time that he's testified in a legal case, which highlights the serious nature of this dispute....
Top Rated Comments
Elon Musk is nothing but a tech conman. He peddles his half baked garbage to the tech nerds with deep wallets. He’s not funny at all and using 14 year old memes isn’t a personality.
“F— you” - Tim Cook lmao