This week on Beyond The Billions, Forbes Deputy Editor Giacomo Tognini and Senior Editor Alan Ohnsman discuss the mind-boggling shifts revolutionizing the electric vehicle sector. Their conversation analyzes the dynamic challenges facing the EV space, which now resembles tech startups more than traditional car manufacturing, particularly as US government subsidies expire and strong domestic and international rivals like Rivian and BYD emerge. They also examine the impact of Elon Musk's personal actions on the Tesla brand and the implications for his trillion-dollar pay package—which is tied to company milestones—in a world where, with Elon, "anything can happen any week let alone five years."
00:00 This Week’s Billionaires Recap
02:41 The Mind-Boggling Shift: When EVs Became Tech Startups
08:44 How China Built A New EV Empire
14:31 When Subsidies End: The Pain Of Losing Government Credits
15:14 Driving Down The Brand: Elon's Personal Actions And The Fallout
18:54 Tesla’s Trillion-Dollar Pay Package For Elon
26:46 How BYD Became The World's Top EV Maker
33:16 The US Rival Whose Future Rests On A Single Car
To read more about Tesla’s shift away from its core EV mission: https://www.forbes.com/sites/alanohnsman/2025/11/10/teslas-engineering-exodus-comes-amid-shift-from-core-ev-mission/
To read more about Elon Musk’s $1 trillion pay package: https://www.forbes.com/sites/alanohnsman/2025/11/05/elon-musks-1-trillion-pay-plan-the-case-for-magical-thinking/
To read more about RJ Scaringe’s bet that Rivian’s new electric SUV will help make it the next Tesla: https://www.forbes.com/sites/alanohnsman/2025/10/20/rj-scaringe-is-betting-his-new-electric-suv-will-make-rivian-the-next-tesla/
To read more about billionaire reactions to Zohran Mamdani’s victory: https://www.forbes.com/sites/siladityaray/2025/11/05/billionaires-react-to-mamdanis-win-you-have-a-big-responsibility/
To read more about billionaire John Catsimatidis’ reaction to Zohran Mamdani’s victory: https://www.forbes.com/sites/martinadilicosa/2025/11/07/supermarket-billionaire-john-catsimatidis-threatens-to-cut-workforce-move-to-florida-after-mamdanis-win/
To read more about Donald Trump’s nomination of Jared Isaacman as NASA administrator: https://www.forbes.com/sites/the-prototype/2025/11/08/trump-nominated-billionaire-jared-isaacman-to-run-nasa-again/
To read more about Nvidia losing two billionaires amid its stock selloff: https://www.forbes.com/sites/emilygarcia/2025/11/11/nvidia-loses-2-billionaires-amid-softbank-led-selloff/
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