In keeping with his promotional nature, Musk said there was a path by which Tesla could be worth more than the next top five companies by market cap combined. Tesla was the seventh largest company in the S&P 500 at year-end. This result seems very unlikely, in my view.

High-level policy discussions that could benefit Tesla and its biggest shareholder Elon Musk are underscoring the political complexities of the world’s richest man playing a central role in the Trump White House.