The ENTIRE History of Tesla in 18 Minutes

Tesla started as a small startup with a strange idea: power a sports car with thousands of laptop batteries. Today it has delivered more than 10 million vehicles, by one recent tally. In this video we tell the full story, from two e-book engineers in 2003 to a car company now valued on robotaxis and humanoid robots. You’ll hear about: The founder who is not quite the founder, and the 2009 settlement that let five people call themselves cofounders A Roadster built from laptop battery cells A Christmas Eve funding deal that kept payroll going in 2008 Production hell, a factory tent, and a bed on the factory floor The $420 tweet and the SEC settlement Autopilot, Full Self-Driving, and the court fights over safety A Roadster launched into space Where Tesla stands right now, with its 2025 full-year results and its latest reported quarter, Q3 2026 Every company is built on something. Tesla was built on you, and on your willingness to pay today for what a car might become tomorrow. Figures are taken from company reports and press coverage and rounded, and the periods are named in the video. Some recent numbers come from secondary reports of Tesla’s results, so check Tesla’s investor relations page for the official figures. If you enjoyed it, like and subscribe for the full story of more companies, one founder at a time. And tell us in the comments, what was the first electric car you rode in?