Beat the Market With Our Free Pre-Market Newsletter Enter your email to get Benzinga's ultimate morning update: The PreMarket Activity Newsletter Comments See Also: Elon Musk Told The U.N. If They Could Show A Plan For Ending World Hunger He'd Donate $6 Billion – ‘I Will Sell Tesla Stock Right Now And Do It' Musk and Page, already friends, hashed out terms that would keep Tesla alive. According to Vance, the agreement included several key points: Google would buy Tesla for $6 billion. It would allocate $5 billion for factory expansions. Tesla would remain an independent brand and Musk would stay on as CEO for up to eight years or until Tesla launched its third-generation vehicle. The deal seemed nearly finalized, with lawyers drafting the paperwork, but then Tesla's fortunes made a dramatic U-turn. In Q1 2013, Tesla experienced a sudden surge in Model S sales. This stabilized the company's cash flow and allowed Tesla to post its first quarterly profit of $11 million. The news sent Tesla's stock price soaring, which enabled the company to repay its $465 million loan from the U.S. Department of Energy earlier than expected. With Tesla's newfound financial health, Musk called off the deal with Google. "He no longer needed a savior," Vance wrote in the book. Trending: Maker of the $60,000 foldable home has 3 factory buildings, 600+ houses built, and big plans to solve housing — you can become an investor for $0.80 per share today. Had the deal gone through, Tesla's trajectory – and perhaps Google's – might have looked entirely different. While Google pursued car-related ambitions, including autonomous driving technologies, it's hard to imagine it achieving Tesla's cultural and market dominance. Fast forward to 2024 and Tesla's value has skyrocketed. Its market cap now exceeds $1.35 trillion, with stock prices up over 870% in the past five years. The company is a global leader in electric vehicles and renewable energy. Musk's decision to keep Tesla independent during its darkest days is seen as one of the most pivotal moments in its history. In hindsight, Google may have missed out on one of the century's most transformative companies, but for Musk, the decision to stay the course solidified Tesla as more than just a car company. It became a movement – one that nearly didn't happen. Read Next: Inspired by Uber and Airbnb – Deloitte's fastest-growing software company is transforming 7 billion smartphones into income-generating assets – with $1,000 you can invest at just $0.26/share!