March 01, 2023

Exclusive interview with Tesla CEO Elon Musk and investing icon Ron Baron [Video]

Billionaire buy-and-hold investor Ron Baron was hosting his annual Baron Investment Conference in New York City this week. CNBC* caught up with the investing icon who called Tesla "maybe the most interesting" company he's ever invested in over his 46 year career. Baron owns about 1.5 million Tesla shares, valued at around $300 million. And, he forecasted, "I think in this investment [Tesla] from here in the next 15 years, we can make 30 to 50 times our money."

Image: Inverse

So what's Baron's history of investing in Tesla Motors [NASDAQ: TSLA]? "The stock was $33 when we started to invest," he said. But, he explained some of Tesla's past opposition comes from, "The car dealers [who] don't want you to succeed because the [electric] cars don't need service. The unions don't want you to succeed because Tesla is remaking the way you make cars." To check out Baron's fascinating views on Tesla, check out CNBC's exclusive interview below...

Source: CNBC*

What are Baron's thoughts on Tesla's proposed merger with SolarCity? Baron called the deal a necessity, because he believes that all vehicles will eventually be electric. "If I'm right, there's a tremendous demand for electricity. Where do you get it from? The electricity grid is not growing. They are not building new power plants," he said. Under that dynamic, he said Tesla has to buy SolarCity because it's "not going to have enough electricity for cars" otherwise. "The reason you're buying it is you are reinventing the electric grid. That's a bigger opportunity than cars."

Source: Tesla

Afterwards, Baron (along with CNBC host Carl Quintanella) was able to interview Tesla CEO Elon Musk. In a nod to the upcoming Tesla and SolarCity merger, Musk discussed the recent endorsement from Institutional Shareholder Services (a major shareholder advisory firm) and his upcoming plans for the solar roof. In addition, he also discussed the election, Tesla Autopilot, and some remarkable futurist predictions. Check out the CNBC interview below...