As a public company, we are subject to wild swings in our stock price that can be a major distraction for everyone working at Tesla, all of whom are shareholders. Being public also subjects us to the quarterly earnings cycle that puts enormous pressure on Tesla to make decisions that may be right for a given quarter, but not necessarily right for the long-term. Finally, as the most shorted stock in the history of the stock market, being public means that there are large numbers of people who have the incentive to attack the company.
I can’t think of many more reasons than this. IPOs are great for generating a ton of money for investors, founders and raising capital for the next big thing. Once everyone has cashed in, the management must continue this dog and pony show of quarterly earnings calls, reporting and pleasing investors. Remaining private is personally where I’d like to be if I had a company that was large enough to even have that choice to make.
I wish Apple the same fate. Privately-Held is so much better for successful companies