Gene Munster: Al Gore would be a good Tesla chairman after Elon Musk

Al
Gore.
Lehtikuva/Vesa
Moilanen/Reuters

• Gene Munster, one of Tesla’s biggest bulls, thinks Al
  Gore could be a good pick for chairman.
• It follows Elon Musk’s settlement with the SEC, which
  includes an agreement to step down as Tesla chairman within 45
  days.
• Gore has climate change credentials and has sat on
  Apple’s board since 2003.

Al Gore could be a good pick for Tesla chairman, as Elon Musk
prepares to step down following his settlement with the
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) over the weekend.

That’s according to Gene Munster, a managing partner at the
venture capital firm Loup Ventures and prominent Tesla bull, who
is already talking up replacements for Musk with his seat on the
board not-yet cold.

Musk will remain Tesla CEO after
settling SEC fraud charges over his infamous “funding
secured” tweet about taking the car firm private. He has 45 days
to step down as chairman. As part of the deal, Musk and Tesla
will also both pay $20 million, while the former will neither
admit nor deny the allegations.

In a blog post following the settlement, Munster
said Gore would be an “interesting” choice for Tesla given his
climate change credentials align with the company’s ambitions.

Gore has also sat on Apple’s board since 2003, so knows how to
deal with a mercurial CEO in the shape of Steve Jobs and is
familiar with the inner workings of a giant tech company.

“The open board chairperson role creates an opportunity for Tesla
to potentially put someone in place that is capable of
influencing Musk and helping Tesla reach sustainability,” Munster
said.

Gore has previously noted his admiration for Tesla and Musk. In
an interview with Politico in
2014, the former vice president said he’d love to own a
Tesla. And during a Reddit AMA the same
year, he said “in Musk I trust” when asked if Telsa will make
it as a car company.

Another name Munster floated for the chairman role was former
Boeing CEO Jim McNerney. Boeing celebrates his “relentless focus
on internal productivity” in a page dedicated to McNerney on
its website, a quality that could serve him well at Tesla.

Munster said the settlement was the best outcome for all
involved. “The settlement removes what could have been a
significant distraction for the company and overhang for shares
that could have lasted a year,” he added.

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