Tesla manager Elon Musk has exposed he the moment attempted to sell his electric powered car company to Apple.
Mr Musk, 49, did not say precisely when he requested a meeting with the tech giant’s main executive but he described it as becoming “during the darkest days of the Product 3 programme”.
Tesla was having difficulties to meet up with car output targets for the electric powered automobile – its 1st intended for the mass market place – in 2017 and 2018.
At the time Mr Musk stated the enterprise was in “manufacturing hell”, blaming issues with automated creation techniques at its battery manufacturing facility in Nevada.
In a tweet to his 41m followers, Mr Musk said experienced asked for a assembly with Apple manager Tim Prepare dinner “to discuss the possibility of Apple buying Tesla (for one-tenth of our present price)”.
Mr Musk said: “He refused to get the assembly.”
Tesla’s worth, as at the near of investing on Tuesday, was $616bn (£458bn), so a tenth of this would be $61.6bn (£45.8bn).
The corporation is also ultimately earning a income soon after yrs of losses and in Oct it sent a history range of new cars and trucks.
Its shares have soared 665% this 12 months and it is the world’s most useful automaker and amid the leading 10 major US firms in the S&P 500 index.
Apple’s automotive venture began in 2014 but it has also faced issues.
Apple has declined to remark on Mr Musk’s tweet.