Tesla was incorporated in 2003 by Martin Eberhard and Marc Tarpenning. Musk did not register the company, but he led and largely funded its 2004 Series A — investing about $6.5 million of his own money — served as chairman, was the controlling shareholder, and set the product strategy in his 2006 "Secret Master Plan." He became CEO in 2008 and poured in his remaining personal fortune to save the company. A 2009 legal settlement formally entitles five people — Eberhard, Tarpenning, Musk, JB Straubel and Ian Wright — to call themselves Tesla co-founders. So "he just bought in" is simply false: he is, legally and by agreement, a co-founder, and the person most responsible for what Tesla became.