Musk wants 25% Tesla stake before AI, robotics push

The news: Billionaire Elon Musk wants a roughly 25% voting stake in Tesla if the company is to become a leader in robotics, Musk has tweeted on X, formerly Twitter. Otherwise, he said he would rather build such products outside of the automotive company he founded.

The numbers: Musk currently owns roughly 13% of Tesla stock, Reuters reports.

What they said: "I am uncomfortable growing Tesla to be a leader in AI & robotics without having ~25% voting control," Musk tweeted. "Enough to be influential, but not so much that I can’t be overturned."

The context: Musk, who has been a staunch proponent of automation, AI development and unregulated free speech, said the likelihood of a takeover by "bad actors" was too high if he held a stake of 15% or less. Despite seeking more control at Tesla, Musk noted he was happy with its board's performance.