Elon Musk suggested a change in the formulation of Tesla’s mission, proposing to replace the expression “sustainable abundance” with “incredible abundance”. The statement was made on Christmas Eve, in a publication on the social network X (formerly Twitter), in which the executive stated that he considered the new term “more cheerful”.
The change mentioned by Musk appears to refer to the company’s most recent long-term strategic plan, known as “Master Plan Part IV”, released this year. The document uses the concept of “sustainable abundance” several times to describe the company’s vision of economic growth supported by technology, automation and new products.
Despite the statement, the official mission published on Tesla’s institutional website continues to be “accelerating the world’s transition to sustainable energy”. The company did not formally announce any revisions to this statement nor did it publish updated versions of its strategic documents following Musk’s post.
When this last strategic document was presented, the text received criticism for adopting broad and non-specific language about goals, deadlines and means of execution. At the time, Musk publicly acknowledged the criticism and indicated that the document could gain more technical details in the future.
It is not yet clear whether the suggested change represents merely a change in tone or whether it signals a broader conceptual reorientation. Musk is known for using social media to make informal comments about his companies.
The statement comes at a time when the executive has more frequently highlighted topics such as artificial intelligence, robotics and automation as central pillars of the company’s future. At the same time, Tesla continues to invest in electric vehicles, energy storage systems, solar generation and autonomous transport projects.
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In recent months, Musk has also been in the spotlight due to a compensation package linked to Tesla’s growth goals, which foresees the expansion of production of vehicles, robots and mobility services, in addition to a significant increase in the company’s market value over the next decade. With the approval of the Bonus, Musk could become the world’s first trillionaire.
Sustainability as a foundation for Tesla
Despite the debate surrounding the language used by Musk, Tesla has built its trajectory associated with reducing emissions and expanding clean technologies. In 2017, he left his position as an advisor to Donald Trump’s then government following the United States’ decision to withdraw from the Paris Agreement, stating that climate change was real and that leaving the treaty would bring global harm. In the same year, he told Rolling Stone magazine that he considers global warming to be the greatest threat faced by humanity in the century, second only to artificial intelligence.
In 2018, Musk again directly associated Tesla with this challenge by stating that the company’s fundamental reason for existence was to accelerate the transition to sustainable transport and energy systems.
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According to the company’s 2024 impact report, its products helped avoid around 32 million metric tons of CO2 in 2024 alone, in addition to advances in battery recycling, the use of renewable energy in factories and greenhouse gas emissions neutrality goals.
According to the document, in addition to electric vehicles, the company expanded its operations in energy storage, smart electrical grids and solar generation, with large-scale battery plant projects and virtual plants that contribute to the stability of electrical grids in different countries.
To date, these pillars continue to be officially presented as a central part of Tesla’s mission, regardless of recent statements by its chief executive.
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