Will stay on at Tesla as long as I can be useful, says Elon Musk

New Delhi: Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla, indicated on Tuesday that he will stay at the electric car firm for as long as he is needed, despite worries that his proposed acquisition of Twitter will divert him from his Tesla duties. "As long as I can be useful," he remarked when asked how long he plans to stay at Tesla.

He was speaking at the Financial Times' Future of the Car 2022 event.

Going to the depths of the world

Tesla's CEO said the company is open to buying a mining company if producing its own supply of electric vehicle (EV) metals helps to accelerate the global adoption of clean energy technology.

"It's not out of the question," Musk said. "We will address whatever limitations are on accelerating the world's transition to sustainable energy. It's not that we wish to buy mining companies, but if that's the only way to accelerate the transition, then we will do that."

Last year, Tesla manufactured just under 1 million electric vehicles.

Other automakers and executives, including Carlos Tavares, CEO of Tesla rival Stellantis NV, have warned of a metals supply crisis in the industry.

Musk against Trump ban
Musk called Twitter's decision to ban former US President Donald Trump from the platform "foolish in the extreme." He also stated that his indefinite ban should be lifted.

"Permanent bans just fundamentally undermine trust in Twitter as a town square where everyone can voice their opinion."

Musk stated at the event that banning the former US president from Twitter "didn't end Trump's voice."

Even if the ban is lifted, Trump has stated that he will not return to Twitter. He has launched his own social media company Truth Social.

Shadow of uncertainty
Musk expressed some scepticism about the Twitter transaction at the event.

"I don't own Twitter yet, so this is not like a thing that will definitely happen," Musk said, referring to his intention to reinstate Trump's Twitter account. "What if I don't own Twitter.

Musk agreed to buy the social networking platform on April 25. Musk had secured $25.5 billion in debt and margin loan financing, as well as a $21 billion equity commitment, according to Twitter at the time.