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The next day, on the 101 highway back to Silicon Valley, Lin Fan received a call from Eberhard.
"Mr. Lin, I have to inform you..."
The other end of the phone paused for a long time before continuing with a big smile: "Roadster has made a major breakthrough in technology. We think it's time to accept orders from external parties."
Damn it!
When Lin Fan heard the other party's pause, he thought the battery had exploded again, but his shock turned into surprise.
"Really? Can we start accepting orders from customers?"
Lin Fan's voice also sounded a bit joyful. It has been a year and a half since he invested in Tesla.
During this period, he injected a total of US$16.3 million into Tesla in two installments.
Among them, the Series A financing was US$7.5 million, of which he personally led US$6.3 million, taking 42% of the equity, which has now been diluted to 33.33%;
The B round of financing is US$13 million, with Lam Capital Lichun Fund leading the investment of US$10 million, taking 15.88% of the equity.
Taken together, he actually holds 49.21% of Tesla's shares, nearly half.
Therefore, he has always been extremely concerned about Tesla's development.
Since this year, he has focused more on the development, launch, work handover of Facebook, and the construction and creation of Lin Capital.
I didn’t go to the Tesla factory very often, but I still communicated with Eberhard once a week on the phone or once a week via work email.
How could he not be surprised to hear that Tesla has finally started accepting orders and selling cars?
But this is just the first step in a long journey of thousands of miles, and there are still many challenges ahead.
But in any case, this is also a quite landmark event.
After calming down, Lin Fan said with a smile: "Congratulations to you and all the employees, you have accomplished an amazing feat.
This step taken by Tesla is destined to leave a mark in the history of electric vehicle development."
Eberhard was also very happy on the other end of the phone. It had been three full years since he and Tarpenning established Tesla.
In the middle, they experienced a bankruptcy crisis and sacrificed their majority shareholder seats to attract venture capital in exchange for a chance of survival.
Now, finally, the dawn of victory has arrived.
As long as the car can be built and sold, and it can become an automaker as successful as Ford, selling the vast majority of its shares is worth it in his opinion.
Building electric cars is a crazy investment with huge investment, and it cannot be sustained for a long time by its own strength.
In the past, he underestimated the cost and difficulty and almost bankrupted Tesla. Fortunately, he brought in Lin Fan, a big financier.
He got along very well with Lin Fan, the major shareholder. He was not only familiar with the electric vehicle industry, but also very supportive of their work and money, and he never frowned.
No, he was planning to ask Lin Fan for money again.
"Mr. Lin, although we can get a certain amount of cash flow by accepting orders and collecting deposits, our research and development work cannot be stopped. We still need to invest another sum of money."
Lin Fan responded happily: "Okay, that's no problem. I'll be at Tesla soon and we'll have an interview."
"Okay, that's it."
Eberhard hung up the phone with a smile.
It took half an hour for the car to drive outside the Tesla factory.
After the car parked, Lin Fan opened the door and walked out quickly without waiting for Zhang Chenguang to open the door, and walked quickly into the factory.
Compared with before, there is an obvious feeling when entering the factory that there are more people.
Eberhard had a folder under his arm and was discussing something with Straubel.
Seeing Lin Fan approaching, the two stopped their discussion and bumped fists with Lin Fan one by one.
"Where's the car? Take me to see it."
The boss wanted to see the car, but Eberhard didn't dare to neglect it and trotted to get the keys.
After Eberhard left, Straubel, who is currently the battery technical director, accompanied Lin Fan to talk with him in a very friendly manner.
Lin Fan had many blessings for him, including the fact that he was regarded as a legend by his colleagues in the company, and the "battery arrangement and combination" technology that made him a god and led to promotion and salary increase all came from the proposal of the major shareholder and chairman in front of him.
point.
He didn't know why Lin Fan wanted to give himself this huge credit. This invention was recognized within the company as saving at least half a year of research and development time.
After much deliberation, he could only explain that Lin Fan wanted to cultivate himself and help him improve his prestige within the company.
In addition to Eberhard, Straubel also often called Lin Fan and sent work emails.
Lin Fan knew all about the company's big moves, or what Eberhard didn't tell him.
His career is too big, and sometimes it is inevitable that he cannot control it properly. At this time, he needs close friends like Straubel to play a role.
Soon, Eberhard got the key again and took Lin Fan to a warehouse near the factory.
When the warehouse door opened, Lin Fan couldn't take his eyes away when he saw eight Roadster sports cars parked neatly inside.
It is no longer the previous single lifeless black. Four of the cars are red, bright as fire and full of vitality.
"Go out and run around the track."
Lin Fan's order made Eberhard a little stunned, "Now?"
"Yes, call all the employees to see the Roadster on the track. This is inseparable from everyone's dedication. Everyone should be proud of it."
Eberhard instantly understood what Lin Fan meant, which was to cultivate a sense of honor and belonging among employees.
This is a good thing and must be supported!
So Eberhard ran to the nearby factory to call the employees.
After a while, dozens of employees ran over noisily, everyone with a bright smile on their face.
"Guys, the weather is so nice today, let's take our babies out to bask in the sun."
The old employees knew that this was the chairman. When they heard Lin Fan's words, they happily went to find Eberhard to get the car keys.
As for the new employees, some of them didn't know who this young Asian man was, so they went to ask the old employees in low voices.
After questioning him, the new employee thoroughly remembered this impressive chairman.
In the eyes of old employees, Lin Fan is a rich man who often pays benefits, is eclectic, and free-spirited. New employees also feel the same way.
CEO Eberhard usually treasures these prototype cars very much, for fear of getting bumped.
But as soon as the chairman comes, he waves his hand and drives as he pleases. How grand is this!
Soon after, another founder, Tarpenning, arrived from his office in the office building next door.
When he saw that eight Baby Carts had driven out of the warehouse and formed a long queue, ready to go somewhere, he was so anxious that he wanted to stop this wasteful and risky behavior on the spot.
Eberhard stepped forward to persuade the partner and informed him that it was Lin Fan's intention.
Tarpenning quickly looked at Lin Fan, who was nodding and smiling at him. He smacked his lips a few times, but finally said nothing.
Eight convertible Roadster sports cars lined up in a long queue and slowly drove out of the office area where Tesla is located, followed by dozens of cars.
Because the Roadster only has two seats, eight cars can only seat sixteen people.
Tesla currently has more than 80 employees.
The entire Tesla company, except for a few administrative employees who stayed behind, was out in force to witness the heroic appearance of the works in their hands on the field.
The fleet of eight red and black convertible sports cars became a beautiful scenery on the road, attracting many passers-by to stop and watch or take photos.
Lin Fan sat in the Rolls-Royce and kept his eyes on the motorcade in front of him.
The employees are quite well-behaved and know how valuable the car is. There is no noisy racing and they drive the car very gently.
At a car racing venue in San Francisco, four black and four red sports cars were racing on the track, performing a high-speed chase.
The test drivers were all Tesla engineers. Lin Fan, Eberhard, and Tarpenning were quietly observing from the sidelines, chatting from time to time, and commenting on the car.
"Mr. Lin, as you can see now, we already have the capability of large-scale production, and the first model basically has no defects."
Eberhard pointed to the field ahead, "Look, compared to fuel vehicles, they are almost not far behind."
As soon as he finished speaking, a red Tesla stopped at the edge of the track.
A young male white employee got out of the car. He walked aside silently, leaving the car where it was.
Lin Fan didn't take it seriously, thinking that it was a matter of discussion among the employees, and that everyone would take turns and everyone would have a share.
But not long after, the second car, the third car... a total of eight cars, all stopped.
After the driver got out of the car, no one came to replace them and continued driving.
"What are you doing? Why did you stop running after just a few minutes?"
Facing Lin Fan's question, Tarpenning smiled awkwardly, "I told them to avoid overheating the car body and take a break after driving for five minutes."
Lin Fan was immediately a little dissatisfied. He looked at Eberhard and said, "This is what you told me. There are almost no flaws. Compared with fuel vehicles, they are not inferior at all?"
When consumers buy this car, they can drive it in five minutes?
This is a sports car, a vehicle, not a toy car."
"Mr. Lin, please listen to my explanation."
Seeing that the major shareholder was angry, Eberhard knew that he had said too much and was slapped in the face as soon as he finished speaking. At this moment, he wanted to find a crack in the ground and crawl into it.
He explained with a red face: "There will be an auto show in Santa Clara County in two days. Tesla has communicated with the organizer and reserved a booth.
This is Tesla’s first appearance in front of the public, so it is better for us to be cautious. If the car breaks down today, it will be embarrassing if the car is not shown the day after tomorrow.”
"Don't change the subject. Can the car be broken down in five minutes?"
Lin Fan felt that the other party's excuse was lame. Taihu had tricked someone. The real reason was that there was something wrong with the car.
Tarpenning came out to smooth things over, "Mr. Lin, it's true, the car does have a little problem. Compared with mature fuel vehicles, Tesla's body is easy to overheat.
We are working on solving this problem and it is not a big problem."
Lin Fan still didn't look good, and he had learned to deceive others. It seemed that he was too tolerant and generous.
Tarpenning and Eberhard looked at Lin Fan, who looked ugly, and looked at each other, both knowing that they had committed a taboo.
"After the investment, I chose you two to continue to lead Tesla without changing people because I trust you.
But your performance makes me very disappointed."
Lin Fan said with a straight face: "I hope this is the first and last time.
Cheating and lying are something that should not happen to a qualified manager.
I know that electric vehicles are an industry that starts from scratch and is destined to encounter many problems during the research and development process.
For example, the overheating problem of the car body was not a big deal originally, but you never told me.
In your work emails, I only see overwhelming momentum and triumphant songs.
This is a typical example of reporting good news but not bad news, and it also shows disrespect for me.
If there is another time, I will consider convening a shareholders' meeting to re-elect the management."
Lin Fan's words were very serious and showed almost no emotion.
Originally this was not a big deal, but he used it as an excuse.
He saw some bad signs in the two of them and took the opportunity to give them a slap.
Eberhard Tarpenning is a Tesla executive, founder and shareholder.
After two rounds of financing, A and B, the two still hold a combined 31.75% stake in Tesla.
Since Tesla does not have an AB share structure, even if we include the voting rights held by the two people in the employee option pool, the voting rights PK is still weaker than that of Lin Fan and Lin Capital.
After being scolded by Lin Fan, the two of them looked a little embarrassed.
However, knowing that they were wrong and Lin Fan was so powerful, the two of them did not dare to talk back. They just looked at the car racing track in the distance with serious faces.
The three of them stood in the stands of the stadium, while the employees were at the track next to the stage, watching the racing cars up close.
Therefore, there was no one else around the three of them, so there was no need to worry about Lin Fan's reprimand just now being heard by the employees.
This was something Lin Fan had considered, to preserve the two's face in front of his subordinates.
If you scold two people carelessly in front of a group of employees, regardless of whether they will become resentful because of the loss of face, it will damage a lot of personal prestige, and it will be difficult to lead the team in the future.
All in all, Lin Fan thought that what he did was very reasonable and he felt at ease.
Investment, especially majority equity investment and controlling investment, will face many problems.
It is necessary not only to win over the management, but also to pay attention to the disobedience of the management, and to tie an iron chain to ambition.
When things are irreversible, it is even more necessary to make a decisive decision and quickly clear the sores.
Therefore, in the eyes of the outside world, capital is cold-blooded and often kicks founders out.
In fact, what is behind it is more of a game of interests, and there is no moral distinction.
He has not been involved in the investment industry for a long time, and many things are still in the exploratory stage.
But he knows that investing in so many companies cannot always be a harmonious whole. Wherever there are people, there will always be a world.
Once a problem is discovered, avoiding it is not the solution. It will only make people feel weak and easy to bully.
You must be strong when you should be strong. You must draw a bottom line and be warned not to cross the line to ensure that your rights and interests are not infringed.
The thing they committed this time was not a big one, but as long as he gently exposed it, there might be a second, third, and countless times later.
Moreover, it may become more serious each time. This time it is to hide a problem with the car, next time it is to hide the company's financial problems, or even something more exaggerated.
Eberhard Tarpenning was silent for a while.
Tarpenning took the lead to break the deadlock and said: "Mr. Lin, this is our fault. I apologize to you.
In the future, we promise that such a thing will not happen again, and I hope you can forgive us this time."
Eberhard has now experienced what it means to be involuntarily. Perhaps from the moment he lost his seat as a major shareholder, Tesla is no longer the Tesla of the two of them, and in the company, it is no longer the same thing.
people.
Lin Fan acted harmlessly before and seemed to support them to the end, but now he finally showed the fangs of capital.
And threatened to replace them!
To be honest, if he wasn't worried about Lin Fan and Lin Capital's high shareholding in Tesla, he would really want to have a good argument with Lin Fan.
They are also shareholders, not someone's subordinates.
But real life forces them to bow their heads.
So after a difficult psychological struggle, Eberhard said reluctantly: "I promise, there will be no next time. I will definitely inform you of everything in the future, no matter how big or small it is."
Lin Fan immediately heard a trace of dissatisfaction in Eberhard's words.
He didn't hold on to it anymore, because he didn't have absolute control over Tesla at the moment. If there was a real conflict and the project was suspended, he, the major shareholder, would suffer the most.
He nodded and dropped the matter without mentioning it again.
After the car was parked and cooled for a while, the second round of testing began again.
This time there was no longer a group of eight cars, but instead they were divided into four groups, with two cars in each group, one red car and one black car.
One group of cars runs on the track for five minutes, and then the second group rotates.
Except for those who participated in the rotation test, the employees in the audience acted as cheerleaders, cheering and cheering beside the track, and the scene was noisy.
Lin Fan looked at the lively scene in the audience, and then looked at the two silent people next to him, knowing that they still had a knot in their hearts.
"Let's go, let's run one round next time."
Lin Fan took the initiative to break the embarrassment and invited the two of them to race, which also gave them a step up.
Tarpenning was stunned at first, but soon realized that this was a good opportunity to repair the relationship. He smiled and said, "Okay, let's go for a run."
Eberhard nodded reluctantly.
It seems that he hasn't gotten over what happened just now.
Lin Fan acted as if he didn't understand Eberhard's expression, and took the lead to get out of the stands and walk towards the crowd.
Tarpenning wanted to follow, but found that Eberhard was walking slowly.
He patted his partner on the shoulder, hugged him again, put a little more force on his hand, and pushed the sad-faced Eberhard out of the stands.
Lin Fan knew exactly what Tesla would look like in later generations.
Investing in electric vehicles is also an important part of the future, as fuel vehicles can no longer be plugged in.
But the future market for electric vehicles is no smaller than that of fuel vehicles.
I am entering the market in advance now because I hope that domestic electric vehicles will not be stuck in the future.
After Tesla's electric vehicle technology is perfected, you can consider making it domestically.
