Tesla CEO Elon Musk: Where his private jet flew in 2018
Elon Musk, CEO of electric carmaker Tesla, traveled far and wide in his private jet last year, new documents show.
According to flight records obtained by The Washington Post, the businessman’s Gulfstream G650ER jet flew more than 150,000 miles in 2018 – which is the equivalent of flying around the world more than six times. He traveled everywhere from the Middle East to Asia, Latin America and Europe.
Musk’s jet made more than 250 total trips – including many work-related trips – but it also embarked on a number of recreational and personal trips on behalf of Musk and his family – including to Mexico, Chile and Israel.
Some of the trips involved moving the jet from one side of Los Angeles to the other in order to shorten commutes for Musk, according to the Post.
Musk flew 300 miles in September from Los Angeles to Oakland to watch a competitive gaming event. The company told the Post that Musk conducted business during the trip.
He flew to his brother’s wedding in Spain and to Ireland to visit the set of HBO’s “Game of Thrones” with his children. He also visited the set of HBO’s “Westworld” in Texas.
Tesla only pays for Musk’s work-related trips, people with knowledge of the matter told FOX Business. The cash-strapped company, which struggled to turn a profit in 2018, faces a massive $920 million debt payment in March.
As previously reported by FOX Business’ Charlie Gasparino, the company expects to have enough cash to make that payment without having to raise capital.
During an interview on “The Joe Rogan Experience” podcast in September – which garnered widespread attention after Musk smoked pot on camera – the entrepreneur called fossil fuels “an insane human experiment” and added that “we’re really playing a crazy game here with the atmosphere and the oceans.”
When pressed on why he has focused on cars – and not planes – Musk said the electric airplane wasn’t “necessary right now.”
In response to the logs, a Tesla spokesperson noted that Musk has responsibilities related to multiple companies.
“Elon runs multiple companies, including Tesla, with a presence in dozens of countries around the world,” the spokesperson said. “Until we can teleport, there’s unfortunately no alternative that would allow him to do his job as effectively.”
The electric automaker is set to report fourth-quarter earnings on Wednesday, where investors will be eagerly looking to see whether the automaker churned out a profit – though it is not expected to rival what was achieved last quarter.
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Musk announced plans in recent weeks to cut the Tesla workforce by 7 percent, as the automaker turns to a number of cost-cutting initiatives to improve margins and boost profits.
In the letter to employees sent earlier this month, Musk called 2018 “the most challenging in Tesla’s history.”