Elon Musk says Financial Times "can't do finance" after publication issues apology over Tesla report suggesting $1.4B was "missing"

On March 19, 2025, the British daily newspaper, Financial Times, published a report on the finances of Elon Musk-owned electric vehicle brand Tesla. The report claimed a $1.4 billion discrepancy between Tesla's capital expenditure in the last six months of 2024 and the valuation of assets the funds were allocated to.

However, on March 25, 2025, the Financial Times acknowledged an error in their calculation regarding the alleged missing $1.4 billion in Tesla's finances, citing a statement of an expert correspondent. The newspaper stated, “reconciling accrual-based accounts with cash accounts (especially with the cash flow statement in its indirect form) is always difficult.”

One of Tesla's investors, @SawyerMerritt, took to X on March 25, 2025, to share excerpts from the Financial Times' revised report addressing their calculation error. Elon Musk re-tweeted the post on March 26, 2025, and wrote:

"Turns out @FT can’t do finance"

The tweet has amassed more than 8 million views since it was posted as the time of writing.

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Financial Times' claims and revised statement concerning financial discrepancy in Elon Musk's EV companyTesla explored

In its March 19, 2025, article, the Financial Times reported that Tesla spent $6.3 billion in the second half of 2024 on purchasing equipment and property, excluding net sales and financial leases, as per cashflow statements.

The publication further stated that the Elon Musk-owned company's plant, equipment, and property increased to $5.1 billion during the same period, reflecting a rise of $4.9 billion. The Financial Times' report highlighting the EV company's $1.4 billion discrepancy also mentioned:

"Tesla’s gap is also unusual by its own standards."

The British news publication's report on the EV company's finances gained traction and was cited by other media outlets, resulting in Tesla receiving backlash.

However, in its revised piece on the Elon Musk-owned EV company's finances, the publication mentioned that the difference in payments of assets that are already purchased and the disposal of depreciated property could shed light on the reported financial discrepancy.

The Financial Times' revised article on Elon Musk's Tesla also stated:

"As we sound the Alphaville bugle while lowering this particular red flag, one unavoidable conclusion is that at a certain point it’s necessary to trust the auditor’s judgment."

Adding to the explanation, the British news publication stated that Tesla's link to balance sheet figures "is not immediately apparent," similar to other large publicly listed companies.

The Financial Times cited that the total of accrued liabilities and other expenses, along with accounts payable, dropped to $23.5 billion, indicating a "small cash outflow overall". Additionally, there was a $2 billion increase in Tesla's other long-term liabilities, comprising warranty commitments and lease liabilities.

Providing an explanation for the same, the news publication referenced an expert correspondent who noted that categorizing cash flows under operations, investments, or financing in the cash flow statement requires internal documentation or insider knowledge for proper reconciliation.

The Financial Times further added that if the Elon Musk-owned EV company responded to their revised statement, they were ready to update the report accordingly.

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In its revised statement on Tesla's financial discrepancy, the Financial Times concluded that the monetary 'crack' they were left with was under half a billion, compared to their previous claim of $1.4 billion.