when did elon musk buy tesla

Elon Musk did not originally found Tesla but became involved shortly after its inception. Tesla Motors was founded in July 2003 by Martin Eberhard and Marc Tarpenning. Elon Musk joined the company as the largest investor and chairman of the board in February 2004, contributing $6.5 million to the initial funding round. Later, in 2008, Musk became Tesla's CEO. Thus, Elon Musk effectively "bought into" Tesla in early 2004 rather than purchasing the company outright at a later date.