Tesla

Tesla, founded in 2003 by Martin Eberhard and Marc Tarpenning, is the world's leading electric vehicle manufacturer. Elon Musk joined as chairman and later CEO, becoming the company's public face. Headquartered in Austin, Texas, Tesla also produces energy storage systems and solar products. Its Autopilot and Full Self-Driving systems make it one of the most advanced civilian AI-in-the-loop vehicle platforms operating at scale.

On 1 April 2026, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) included Tesla in a list of 18 US technology companies designated as military targets, citing alleged AI targeting support for strikes on Iran. Staff at Gulf offices were ordered to evacuate by 8pm Tehran time.

Tesla's inclusion is notable because it holds no known defence contracts. The IRGC designation appears to hinge on Elon Musk's political proximity to the Trump administration and his role leading SpaceX, which supplies Starlink communications to US military operations. For Tesla shareholders, the designation introduces geopolitical risk into an EV thesis built on expansion into Middle Eastern and Asian markets.

Tesla also featured briefly in a June 2026 supply-chain leak: the leak site World Leaks posted files stolen from contract manufacturer Tata Electronics that reportedly included Tesla's Project Highland (Model 3) engineering drawings marked TRADE SECRET. Tesla itself was not breached; the exposure originated with a supplier, not Tesla's own systems.