• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

As Big Tech showers employees with perks to win the talent war, Nvidia built a nearly $5 trillion company by making people pay for their own lunch

2

MacKenzie Scott alone accounted for one-third of America's $19.2 billion in megagifts last year

3

Current price of oil as of July 1, 2026

1

As Big Tech showers employees with perks to win the talent war, Nvidia built a nearly $5 trillion company by making people pay for their own lunch

2

MacKenzie Scott alone accounted for one-third of America's $19.2 billion in megagifts last year

3

Current price of oil as of July 1, 2026
PoliticsElon Musk

Elizabeth Warren slams Elon Musk as she asks SEC to probe his conflicts of interest at Twitter and Tesla. ‘Personal wealth does not shield him from basic governance rules’

By
Chloe Taylor
Chloe Taylor
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Chloe Taylor
Chloe Taylor
Down Arrow Button Icon
July 18, 2023, 7:04 AM ET
Senator Elizabeth Warren, pictured in 2016, wants the SEC to investigate Elon Musk, pictured in 2023, and Tesla's Board of Directors.
Senator Elizabeth Warren, pictured in 2016, wants the SEC to investigate Elon Musk, pictured in 2023, and Tesla's Board of Directors.Paul Zimmerman—Chesnot/Getty Images
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Senator Elizabeth Warren isn’t happy with Elon Musk’s monumental workload—and the possibility that it’s damaging shareholders’ interests.

Recommended Video

Warren, the Democratic senator from Massachusetts, wrote to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on Monday to call for a probe into Musk’s various business interests.

In the nine-page letter first obtained by CNBC, Warren urged the SEC to investigate how Tesla’s board of directors had managed “the apparent conflicts of its CEO, Elon Musk.”

She slammed the world’s richest person for spreading himself too thin following his $44 billion acquisition of Twitter late last year, noting that his decision to simultaneously act as CEO of both Twitter and Tesla had “raised concerns about conflicts of interest, misappropriation of corporate assets, and other negative impacts to Tesla shareholders.”

“Despite recent and repeated calls from investors to address these actions, the board appears to have failed to uphold its legal duty to ensure that Mr. Musk act in the best interest of Tesla,” Warren wrote.

She alleged that Tesla’s board had not sufficiently informed shareholders how major concerns around Musk’s ability to devote enough time to the company were, which undermined shareholders’ ability to make informed voting and investing decisions.

The independence of the board, Warren suggested, was also questionable, with several of its members having long-term or close personal relationships with the tech mogul.

“Mr. Musk purchased Twitter and took the company private, and as such, he can run that company as he sees fit — consistent, of course, with relevant federal and state laws. But Tesla is publicly owned, and Mr. Musk and the Board have responsibilities to shareholders and the public in their management of the company. Mr. Musk’s personal wealth — and his personal relationships with Board members — do not shield him or the Tesla Board from meeting basic SEC governance and disclosure rules.”

Musk still a ‘dominant force’ at Twitter

While Warren conceded that Musk had recently stepped down from the top job at Twitter, she argued that the move had done “little to address the concerns to Tesla and its shareholders related to his dual role.”

When Musk announced in May that he had chosen NBCUniversal’s advertising chief Yaccarino to be Twitter’s new CEO, he noted that she would be focused on business operations “while I focus on product design and new technology” — hinting that he would still be heavily involved in the social media company.

Since Musk’s Twitter deal completed, Tesla investors have aired frustrations with Musk being distracted by the social media platform. Earlier this year, a group of long-term Tesla investors who collectively hold shares worth $1.5 billion wrote to the firm’s board to explain that they had grown “increasingly concerned with governance and leadership issues at the company.”

Musk’s decision to buy Twitter sent Tesla stock on a wild ride, with shares of the company plummeting 58% between his announcement of his intention to take over the company last April and the end of 2022. Though the stock is still far off its 2021 peak, it has staged a recovery this year and gained more than 160% since the beginning of 2023.

However, Warren suggested on Monday that investors were still jittery.

“Despite hiring Ms. Yaccarino, [Musk] is likely to retain ‘significant control’ over the company and intends to continue overseeing core functions of the business,” she said.

“Should Mr. Musk change his mind about stepping down as CEO, there is nothing to stop him from firing Ms. Yaccarino and returning to the helm — because Twitter lacks a board of directors, so long as Mr. Musk retains majority ownership of the private company, he will remain a dominant force.”

Representatives for Tesla and Twitter did not respond to Fortune’s request for comment.

Warren vs. Musk

It’s not the first time Warren has been at loggerheads with the Tesla and SpaceX cofounder.

She wrote to Tesla’s board in December accusing Musk of creating “unavoidable conflicts” and potential misappropriation of assets relating to his Twitter acquisition.  

During her campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2020, Warren proposed introducing a wealth tax on ultra-rich Americans. She has since doubled down on the need for such a policy, naming Musk explicitly as an example of someone who should be paying more taxes.

“I’m happy to celebrate success, but let’s remember, Elon Musk didn’t make it on his own. He got huge investments from the government, from taxpayers, from those public school teachers and those minimum wage workers who’ve been paying their taxes all along to get that business up and running and help see it through rough times,” she said in a television interview with CNBC last year.

“When you make it big…let’s also ask that you pay a fair share in taxes. The 99% pay about 7.2% of their total wealth in taxes every year. That top one-tenth of 1% pays less than half as much. That’s not right. Make an investment so the next Elon Musk gets a chance to make it big as well.”

Musk has made it clear he’s opposed to a wealth tax being imposed on America’s richest people, saying in a tweet last year that “SpaceX and Tesla would probably have died” if such a levy had existed in 2008.

Subscribe to Fortune Gulf Brief. Every Tuesday, this new newsletter delivers clear-eyed, authoritative intelligence on the deals, decisions, policies, and power shifts shaping one of the world’s most consequential regions, written for the people who need to act on it. Sign up here.
About the Author
By Chloe Taylor
LinkedIn iconTwitter icon
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Latest in Politics

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Politics

Sam Altman seeks new world order for AI as OpenAI slowly loses ground to Google and Anthropic 
AIMarkets
Sam Altman seeks new world order for AI as OpenAI slowly loses ground to Google and Anthropic 
By Jim EdwardsJuly 2, 2026
3 hours ago
Mark Zandi, Moody's chief economist.
EconomyU.S. economy
‘It’s fair to ask whether it was worth it’: The Iran war has cost Americans $1,000 per household—and that’s a conservative estimate, Mark Zandi says
By Tristan BoveJuly 1, 2026
18 hours ago
Melania Trump NFT earnings surge 28x in 2025 as the First Lady rakes in nearly $17 million in total earnings, filing shows
PoliticsDonald Trump
Melania Trump NFT earnings surge 28x in 2025 as the First Lady rakes in nearly $17 million in total earnings, filing shows
By Mia OsmonbekovJuly 1, 2026
18 hours ago
Donald Trump sits at his desk in the Oval Office, smiling and with his hands folded in front of him.
PoliticsDonald Trump
Trump got a $78K pension from the Screen Actors Guild in 2025 because he appeared in Home Alone 2 in 1992
By Sasha RogelbergJuly 1, 2026
19 hours ago
Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei
AIAnthropic
Anthropic’s AI models are back online after a two-week government standoff—settling the company and administration into a fragile truce
By Tristan BoveJuly 1, 2026
20 hours ago
US President Donald Trump during a Presidential memorandum signing in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, US, on Monday, June 29, 2026.
PoliticsDonald Trump
Inside Trump’s finances: World Cup tickets, a $250,000 golf sculpture, over $1 billion in crypto earnings, and a merch machine
By Eleanor PringleJuly 1, 2026
1 day ago

Most Popular

As Big Tech showers employees with perks to win the talent war, Nvidia built a nearly $5 trillion company by making people pay for their own lunch
Big Tech
As Big Tech showers employees with perks to win the talent war, Nvidia built a nearly $5 trillion company by making people pay for their own lunch
By Marco Quiroz-GutierrezJuly 1, 2026
1 day ago
MacKenzie Scott alone accounted for one-third of America's $19.2 billion in megagifts last year
Success
MacKenzie Scott alone accounted for one-third of America's $19.2 billion in megagifts last year
By Sydney LakeJune 25, 2026
7 days ago
Current price of oil as of July 1, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of oil as of July 1, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerJuly 1, 2026
23 hours ago
The Supreme Court's birthright citizenship ruling hands the U.S. economy a $7.7 trillion win
Newsletters
The Supreme Court's birthright citizenship ruling hands the U.S. economy a $7.7 trillion win
By Diane BradyJuly 1, 2026
1 day ago
Philanthropy leader at Warren Buffett and Bill Gates’ Giving Pledge says children of billionaires are pushing them to give their wealth away faster
Success
Philanthropy leader at Warren Buffett and Bill Gates’ Giving Pledge says children of billionaires are pushing them to give their wealth away faster
By Preston ForeJune 27, 2026
5 days ago
Elon Musk on MacKenzie Scott giving away $26 billion of her fortune: 'Sadly,' it makes the world a worse place
Success
Elon Musk on MacKenzie Scott giving away $26 billion of her fortune: 'Sadly,' it makes the world a worse place
By Sydney LakeJune 29, 2026
3 days ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.