Former Vice President Al Gore made clear that he is not interested in succeeding Elon Musk as Tesla’s board chairman.
“Mr. Gore is a big fan of Tesla and of Elon Musk, but he has a full plate of responsibilities and is not considering taking on any new roles,” Gore spokesman Nick Conger said in a statement to Axios.
Conger’s statement came after speculation mounted that Gore — who is a member of Apple’s board of directors — could become Tesla’s next chairman. The position is vacant after Musk agreed to step down in an agreement with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).
The SEC sued the electric vehicle company for fraud after Musk sent a tweet Aug. 7 claiming he was considering taking Tesla private. Musk did not deny or admit to allegations he made the tweet simply to hurt short-sellers at the expense of new investors, with no intentions of actually privatizing the California-based company. (RELATED: Apparently Musk’s Tweet About Taking Tesla Private At $420 Was A Reference To Weed)
In a settlement with the SEC, Musk agreed to step down as chairman of Tesla and pay a $20 million fine. However, he is allowed to retain his CEO position.
Immediately after Musk agreed to step down, Gore was floated as a possible replacement. This speculation became more rampant after Gene Munster, a venture capitalist and Tesla bull, argued the former vice president would make a great fit for the position.
“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. Al Gore, currently on Apple’s board, could be an interesting fit given his interest in climate change,” Munster wrote in a blog post.
While Gore has served as an Apple board member since 2003, he has not had total luck at running companies. He was a notable co-founder of Current TV, a user-generated content television channel he later transitioned into a progressive station. After a continued lack of success, the channel was later sold to Qatar-owned Al Jazeera in 2013.
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