Now that Tesla CEO Elon Musk has settled fraud charges that arose from an errant tweet, what's next for the billionaire, his electric-car company, and the many customers and investors who have a financial stake in both?
Musk will stay on as CEO, but he must leave his position as chairman of Tesla's board for three years and fork over a $20 million fine for having made what the Security and Exchange Commission deemed a "false and misleading'' statement when he tweeted that Tesla had enough financing to go private. Under the settlement, Tesla will also add two new independent directors to the company's board.
The ramifications of the deal are likely to be positive overall, staving off an investigation that could have dragged on indefinitely and sapped the relatively young company of car buyers' confidence and revenue.
But it's also a rare loss for Musk, an innovator who's made bold strides in industries ranging from electronic payments to space exploration.
