Elon Musk says he ‘never’ wanted to deceive Tesla shareholders, takes swipe at short sellers

Tesla Inc. Chief Executive Elon Musk is now under cross-examination from his attorney Alex Spiro, saying late Monday that he had “never” tried to deceive shareholders but was fending off short sellers. “I thought it would be good for the shareholders to take Tesla private” and allow Tesla to flourish, Musk said. “We were under an unprecedented attack from short sellers.” He envisioned a structure like privately held SpaceX in allowing private investors to still invest in a private Tesla without interference from “Wall Street sharks,” Musk said. Tesla stock’s
TSLA,
+7.74%
advance is waning slightly as the trading day draws to a close.