[SITE NAME]
TSLATesla, Inc. · Insider ownership research

Tesla, Inc. insiders sold $87.7M. How much of their stake is that?

Less than 0.1% overall. As a group they ended with more shares than they started with. The biggest seller whose stake can be measured, James Murdoch, gave up 6.8% of starting holdings.

0
purchases by officers and directors
66%
of sales were under disclosed trading plans
4 of 9
officers and directors sold shares
Is this normal? Less than usual: less than one-twentieth of the 5-year average. 4 insiders sold; the average is 7 a year. Year by year
Latest filing: Filed Sep 9 for a sale from Sep 5 to Sep 8. Vaibhav Taneja sold 2.6K shares ($938K) to cover taxes on vesting stock. Filing
Oct 8, 2025 to Oct 7, 2026 · 17 SEC ownership filings · updated Oct 7, 2026 · See the evidence

What stands out

  1. Kimbal Musk sold $25.6M of stock with no disclosed trading plan. The filings don't state a reason.Largest such sale, Dec 9, 2025
  2. Vaibhav Taneja sold 13K shares (6.3% of starting holdings), but 29K more vested, so the stake grew (from 207K to 223K).Largest sale, May 13, 2026
  3. Tax withholding outweighed market sales: the company withheld $7.09B of officers' and directors' shares for taxes, against $87.7M sold on the open market. The largest was Elon Musk ($7.09B withheld).Largest withholding, Jun 16, 2026

Percentages cover 5 of 9 officers and directors. 4 are left out

i
Left out: Kimbal Musk (most holdings were last confirmed in 2012); Ira Ehrenpreis (most holdings were last confirmed in 2013); Xiaotong Zhu (holdings couldn't be fully reconciled); Kathleen Wilson-Thompson (most of their shares vested during the period, so a percentage would mislead).
Disclosed company stock is not an insider's whole wealth.

Who soldAmount% of holdingsTrading plan
Kathleen Wilson-Thompson
Director
$30.0M
78K shares
i
No percentage: most of their shares vested during the period, so a percentage would mislead.
Disclosed plan
James Murdoch
Director
$26.7M
60K shares
6.8%Disclosed plan
Kimbal Musk
Director
$25.6M
57K shares
i
No percentage: most holdings were last confirmed in 2012.
No plan disclosed
Vaibhav Taneja
Chief Financial Officer
$5.4M
13K shares
6.3%25% under a disclosed plan

The evidence

The full ownership picture8 of 9 insiders fully reconciled · 9 officers and directors

Vested shares across all share classes, held directly and through trusts, LLCs and family members, as reported on SEC Forms 3, 4 and 5. Unvested awards and options are never counted as owned shares.

InsiderHeld Oct 7, 2025SoldHeld Oct 7, 2026Still held
Elon Musk
CEO, Director
509.36M01.12Bno sales
Vesting, gifts, unvested awards and holding lines for Elon Musk
+303.96Mshares vested or exercised
−211Kgifted (net of own trusts)
−17.53Mwithheld by the company for taxes
none reportedunvested awards, start → end
Held throughShare classOct 7, 2025Oct 7, 2026
DirectCommon Stock96,000,000710,172,677
TrustCommon Stock413,362,808413,152,109
Kimbal Musk
!
Most of this insider's holdings were last confirmed in 2012. Confirmed in the last three years: 1,376,373 shares. Not confirmed since: 5,265,510 shares, left out of this row. "Still held" is not shown because it would cover only the smaller, confirmed part.
Director
1.46M−57K1.38Msee note
Vesting, gifts, unvested awards and holding lines for Kimbal Musk
0shares vested or exercised
−30Kgifted (net of own trusts)
none reportedunvested awards, start → end
  • Additional holdings last reported more than 3 years ago are shown separately and excluded from totals.
Held throughShare classOct 7, 2025Oct 7, 2026
DirectCommon Stock1,463,2201,376,373

Additional holdings last reported Feb 2, 2012, not confirmed since: 5,265,510 shares. Not included in any total or percentage on this page.

James Murdoch
Director
884K−60K824K93%
Vesting, gifts, unvested awards and holding lines for James Murdoch
0shares vested or exercised
0gifted (net of own trusts)
none reportedunvested awards, start → end
Held throughShare classOct 7, 2025Oct 7, 2026
DirectCommon Stock90,00090,000
JRM Rev. TrustCommon Stock637,031577,031
Seven Hills TrustCommon Stock157,275157,275
Ira Ehrenpreis
!
Most of this insider's holdings were last confirmed in 2013. Confirmed in the last three years: 855,394 shares. Not confirmed since: 49,046,250 shares, left out of this row. "Still held" is not shown because it would cover only the smaller, confirmed part.
Director
855K0855Ksee note
Vesting, gifts, unvested awards and holding lines for Ira Ehrenpreis
0shares vested or exercised
0gifted (net of own trusts)
none reportedunvested awards, start → end
  • Additional holdings last reported more than 3 years ago are shown separately and excluded from totals.
Held throughShare classOct 7, 2025Oct 7, 2026
DirectCommon Stock855,394855,394

Additional holdings last reported Aug 29, 2013, not confirmed since: 49,046,250 shares. Not included in any total or percentage on this page.

Vaibhav Taneja
i
Minor difference of 76 shares. Difference is stated in footnotes (unreported vesting, exempt acquisition or transfer).
Chief Financial Officer
207K−13K223K+7.8%
Vesting, gifts, unvested awards and holding lines for Vaibhav Taneja
+29Kshares vested or exercised
0gifted (net of own trusts)
78K → 52Kunvested awards, start → end
Held throughShare classOct 7, 2025Oct 7, 2026
DirectCommon Stock9,85625,972
reporting person in GRATsCommon Stock111,000111,000
GRATCommon Stock86,00086,000

Stock options (not counted as shares):

Options heldStrike priceExpiresIntrinsic value (estimate)
2,390$18.44Oct 16, 2028$817K
711,920$18.22Apr 19, 2029$243M
1,600$249.85Oct 31, 2034$176K
939,887$249.85Oct 31, 2024$104M

Estimate: options held × ($360.13 − strike price), using the most recent insider trade price on Form 4 (Sep 8, 2026), not a market close.

Reconciliation: minor difference of 76 shares. Difference is stated in footnotes (unreported vesting, exempt acquisition or transfer).

Xiaotong Zhu
!
Holdings couldn't be fully reconciled. Filings report each grant's shares as the balance instead of a running total. See the filing Sales and other transactions for Xiaotong Zhu are complete.
SVP
n/a0n/an/a
Vesting, gifts, unvested awards and holding lines for Xiaotong Zhu
+20Kshares vested or exercised
0gifted (net of own trusts)
none reportedunvested awards, start → end
  • An owner entity could not be identified from the footnotes.

Holdings couldn't be fully reconciled. Filings report each grant's shares as the balance instead of a running total. The balances below are as reported, not verified totals.

Held throughShare classOct 7, 2025Oct 7, 2026
DirectCommon Stock67,60020,000
Unresolved (see footnote)Common Stock47,60047,600

Stock options (not counted as shares):

Options heldStrike priceExpiresIntrinsic value (estimate)
260,650$20.57Aug 20, 2028$88.5M
520,021$435.80Jan 8, 2036$0

Estimate: options held × ($360.13 − strike price), using the most recent insider trade price on Form 4 (Sep 8, 2026), not a market close.

Robyn Denholm
Director
85K085Kno sales
Vesting, gifts, unvested awards and holding lines for Robyn Denholm
0shares vested or exercised
0gifted (net of own trusts)
none reportedunvested awards, start → end
Held throughShare classOct 7, 2025Oct 7, 2026
DirectCommon Stock85,00085,000

Stock options (not counted as shares):

Options heldStrike priceExpiresIntrinsic value (estimate)
49,387$125.81Aug 18, 2027$11.6M

Estimate: options held × ($360.13 − strike price), using the most recent insider trade price on Form 4 (Sep 8, 2026), not a market close.

Kathleen Wilson-Thompson
Director
5.4K−78K48Knot meaningful
Vesting, gifts, unvested awards and holding lines for Kathleen Wilson-Thompson
+121Kshares vested or exercised
0gifted (net of own trusts)
none reportedunvested awards, start → end
Held throughShare classOct 7, 2025Oct 7, 2026
DirectCommon Stock5,40048,399
Joseph Gebbia
Director
4.1K04.1Kno sales
Vesting, gifts, unvested awards and holding lines for Joseph Gebbia
0shares vested or exercised
0gifted (net of own trusts)
none reportedunvested awards, start → end
Held throughShare classOct 7, 2025Oct 7, 2026
TrustCommon Stock4,1114,111

8 of 9 insiders fully reconciled: starting holdings plus reported transactions match ending holdings (7 exactly, 1 with a minor or footnoted difference). For 1 we show sales but not holdings; the ! icon on that row explains why. Percentages cover 5 of 9 officers and directors. Left out: Kimbal Musk (most holdings were last confirmed in 2012); Ira Ehrenpreis (most holdings were last confirmed in 2013); Xiaotong Zhu (holdings couldn't be fully reconciled); Kathleen Wilson-Thompson (most of their shares vested during the period, so a percentage would mislead). "Still held" compares ending with starting vested shares; a plus sign means the holding grew.

What explains the selling$87.7M of sales by plan status, purpose, seller and month

Officer and director open-market sales: $87.7M across 207,882 shares. Plan status and stated purpose are separate questions, and a sale can have both.

By plan status

The lighter segment is sales with no plan disclosed in the filing ($29.7M), including tax-related sales outside a plan.

No plan disclosed · $25.6M

Sales with no 10b5-1 plan and no tax reference in the filing. $25.6M of it is Kimbal Musk. No plan disclosed is a statement about the filing, not about why the sale happened. Largest such sale: Kimbal Musk, Dec 9, 2025

Taxes

$5.4M of sales (6.2%) cite tax obligations in their footnotes, $1.4M of them also under a plan. Separately, 17,531,857 shares ($7.09B) were withheld by the company for taxes, which isn't a market sale. Example: Vaibhav Taneja, Sep 8, 2026

Charitable gifts · 241K shares

Gifts the filings describe as charitable. Gifts are not sales and are not included in the sale totals.

SellerShares soldProceedsUnder a disclosed planShare of totalSales dates
Kathleen Wilson-Thompson
Director
78K$30.0M100%34%Feb 25, 2026 to Apr 30, 2026
James Murdoch
Director
60K$26.7M100%30%Jan 2, 2026 to Jan 2, 2026
Kimbal Musk
Director
57K$25.6M0%29%Dec 9, 2025 to Dec 9, 2025
Vaibhav Taneja
Chief Financial Officer
13K$5.4M25%6%Dec 8, 2025 to Sep 8, 2026

Sales by month

Oct 2025Dec 2025: $26.8M$26.8MDec 2025Jan 2026: $26.7MFeb 2026: $10.7MFeb 2026Mar 2026: $10.2MApr 2026: $10.0MApr 2026May 2026: $1.4MJun 2026: $1.0MJun 2026Aug 2026Sep 2026: $938KOct 2026
Monthly figures as a table
MonthSale proceeds
Oct 2025$0
Nov 2025$0
Dec 2025$26.8M
Jan 2026$26.7M
Feb 2026$10.7M
Mar 2026$10.2M
Apr 2026$10.0M
May 2026$1.4M
Jun 2026$1.0M
Jul 2026$0
Aug 2026$0
Sep 2026$938K
Oct 2026$0
Is this normal? Selling year by year5 earlier years to compare with

Less than usual: less than one-twentieth of the 5-year average. 4 insiders sold; the average is 7 a year.

12 months endingShares soldInsiders who soldProceeds
Oct 7, 2026
Latest 12 months
208K4$87.7M
Oct 7, 2025
1 year earlier
2.03M7$692M
Oct 7, 2024
2 years earlier
399K4$77.7M
Oct 8, 2023
3 years earlier
41.83M6$7.60B
Oct 8, 2022
4 years earlier
101.44M8$32.38B
Oct 8, 2021
5 years earlier
2.40M8$506M

Open-market sales (Form 4 code S) by people who were officers or directors, in split-adjusted shares. Earlier years include people who have since left. Shares, not dollars, are compared, so a change in the stock price doesn't look like a change in selling. Years the filings don't fully cover are shown but left out of the average.

Known gaps and uncertainty1 insider whose holdings couldn't be fully reconciled

Xiaotong Zhu: holdings couldn't be fully reconciled (difference of -67,600 shares). Filings report each grant's shares as the balance instead of a running total. Filing, Mar 31, 2026

Vaibhav Taneja: minor difference of 76 shares. Difference is stated in footnotes (unreported vesting, exempt acquisition or transfer).

Inferred rename: "VEP I and 176,211 shares" is treated as the same holder as "VEP and VEP I. Valor Management Corp", because the old name was never reported again and the new one opened with the same balance (15,859,020 shares). Old name, new name

Inferred rename: "VEP Tesla Holdings LLC" is treated as the same holder as "VEP and VEP I. Valor Management Corp", because the old name was never reported again and the new one opened with the same balance (144,222,120 shares). Old name, new name

Inferred rename: "Valor VC LLC" is treated as the same holder as "VEP and VEP I. Valor Management Corp", because the old name was never reported again and the new one opened with the same balance (2,045,265 shares). Old name, new name

Inferred rename: "Valor Equity Partners, L.P" is treated as the same holder as "VEP I", because the old name was never reported again and the new one opened with the same balance (29,886,705 shares). Old name, new name

Inferred rename: "VEP II" is treated as the same holder as "VEM II", because the old name was never reported again and the new one opened with the same balance (763,290 shares). Old name, new name

Inferred rename: "Draper Associates, L.P., 44,670 shares" is treated as the same holder as "Draper Associates, L.P., 15,635 shares", because the old name was never reported again and the new one opened with the same balance (33,502,200 shares). Old name, new name

Inferred rename: "Draper Associates, L.P., 2,325,878 shares" is treated as the same holder as "Draper Associates, L.P., 775,292 shares", because the old name was never reported again and the new one opened with the same balance (82,131,855 shares). Old name, new name

Inferred rename: "Draper Fisher Jurvetson Growth Fund 2006, LLC" is treated as the same holder as "Draper Fisher Jurvetson Growth Fund Partners 2006, LLC", because the old name was never reported again and the new one opened with the same balance (235,050 shares). Old name, new name

Inferred rename: "Jurvetson Trust" is treated as the same holder as "Stephen T. Jurvetson Trust", because the old name was never reported again and the new one opened with the same balance (554,955 shares). Old name, new name

Inferred rename: "Stephen T. Jurvetson Trust" is treated as the same holder as "Jurveston Living Trust", because the old name was never reported again and the new one opened with the same balance (629,385 shares). Old name, new name

Inferred rename: "Draper Fisher Jurvetson Partners VIII, L.P" is treated as the same holder as "DFJ VIII Part LP", because the old name was never reported again and the new one opened with the same balance (30,000 shares). Old name, new name

Inferred rename: "Jurveston Living Trust" is treated as the same holder as "Trust", because the old name was never reported again and the new one opened with the same balance (646,710 shares). Old name, new name

Inferred rename: "Draper Fisher Jurvetson Fund VIII, L.P" is treated as the same holder as "DFJ Fund VIII LP", because the old name was never reported again and the new one opened with the same balance (251,640 shares). Old name, new name

Inferred rename: "Draper Fisher Jurvetson Partners VIII, LLC" is treated as the same holder as "DFJ Part VIII LLC", because the old name was never reported again and the new one opened with the same balance (5,595 shares). Old name, new name

Inferred rename: "DFJ Fund VIII LP" is treated as the same holder as "On September 2, 2014, Draper Fisher Jurvetson Fund VIII, L.P", because the old name was never reported again and the new one opened with the same balance (251,640 shares). Old name, new name

Inferred rename: "DFJ Part VIII LLC" is treated as the same holder as "On September 2, 2014, Draper Fisher Jurvetson Partners VIII, LLC", because the old name was never reported again and the new one opened with the same balance (5,595 shares). Old name, new name

Inferred rename: "Jasper Holdings LLC which" is treated as the same holder as "Jasper Holdings LLC", because the old name was never reported again and the new one opened with the same balance (5,365,500 shares). Old name, new name

Inferred rename: "Blackstar Investco LLC" is treated as the same holder as "Until June 25, 2012, Blackstar InvestCo LLC", because the old name was never reported again and the new one opened with the same balance (121,698,225 shares). Old name, new name

Inferred rename: "JRM Family Trust" is treated as the same holder as "Seven Hills Trust", because the old name was never reported again and the new one opened with the same balance (157,275 shares). Old name, new name

Inferred rename: "grantor retained annuity trust" is treated as the same holder as "GRAT", because the old name was never reported again and the new one opened with the same balance (86,000 shares). Old name, new name

External context: we only cite outside events when a documented connection exists. None is shown for this period.

Sources and methodology845 filings from SEC EDGAR, and how we read them

All 845 Forms 3, 4 and 5 filed for Tesla, Inc. (SEC CIK 1318605) from Jun 25, 2010 to Sep 9, 2026, retrieved from SEC EDGAR on Oct 7, 2026. Prices are the ones reported in each filing, often weighted averages.

Probable 5-for-1 stock split on or before Aug 28, 2020 (split date stated in a footnote). Splits aren't reported as transactions; 7 holding lines changed by exactly this ratio, so earlier share counts are restated.

Probable 3-for-1 stock split on or before Aug 29, 2022 (first filing that shows post-split balances). Splits aren't reported as transactions; 7 holding lines changed by exactly this ratio, so earlier share counts are restated.

Holdings. Each holding line (a share class plus an owner, such as a trust or LLC) carries its last reported balance forward. Entities first reported during the period start at zero, so transfers between an insider's own trusts don't count as selling. Lines not reported for three years or more are listed separately and left out of totals.

Sales. A sale counts as under a 10b5-1 plan if its footnote cites one or the filing's Rule 10b5-1 box is checked, and as tax-related if its footnote cites tax obligations or sell-to-cover. Shares withheld by the company for taxes are listed separately. Sales with neither attribute are labeled "no plan disclosed".

Full methodology

Former or inactive filers (25)No filing in 18 months; last reported balances, not in any total
NameLast filedLast reported balance
Andrew BaglinoApr 3, 202431,230 shares, last reported balance as of Apr 1, 2024
Zachary KirkhornAug 8, 2023193,790 shares, last reported balance as of Aug 4, 2023
Jerome GuillenMay 12, 2021151,794 shares, last reported balance as of May 10, 2021
Antonio GraciasApr 5, 20213,984,285 shares, last reported balance as of Feb 9, 2021
Hiromichi MizunoJun 22, 2020No balance on record
Lawrence EllisonFeb 19, 202045,018,750 shares, last reported balance as of Feb 14, 2020
Stephen JurvetsonNov 26, 201911,644,800 shares, last reported balance as of Nov 22, 2019
Brad BussMay 20, 2019200,220 shares, last reported balance as of May 16, 2019
Deepak AhujaMar 7, 20191,003,995 shares, last reported balance as of Mar 6, 2019
Linda RiceFeb 5, 2019No balance on record
John FieldJun 19, 2018273,960 shares, last reported balance as of Jun 15, 2018
Eric BranderizMar 7, 201820,790 shares, last reported balance as of Mar 7, 2018
Jon McNeillDec 7, 201739,180 shares, last reported balance as of Dec 6, 2017
Gregory ReichowApr 13, 20164,980 shares, last reported balance as of Mar 7, 2016
Wheeler JasonDec 16, 20153,180 shares, last reported balance as of Nov 30, 2015
Harald KroegerDec 20, 2013No balance on record
Gilbert PassinMay 29, 20138,295 shares, last reported balance as of May 28, 2013
George BlankenshipMay 21, 2013214,710 shares, last reported balance as of May 17, 2013
Herbert KohlerJun 25, 201273,018,935 shares, last reported balance as of Jun 25, 2012
Eric WhitakerMar 29, 2012No balance on record
Darmaki AlJun 15, 2011109,457,085 shares, last reported balance as of Jul 2, 2010
John WalkerJun 25, 2010No balance on record
Jeffrey StraubelNo balance on record
David Morton Jr.No balance on record
Jack HartungNo balance on record