Christiaan Hetzner
Christiaan Hetzner is a writer for Fortune covering Europe's changing business landscape. He's reported from Germany for the past two decades and is passionate about tracking industry's intersection with finance and policy as they collectively target a net-zero society. Shaped by his time in Frankfurt covering the collapse of the dotcom stock market bubble for Dow Jones Newswires, he joined Reuters in 2004 before shifting to commentary and features for Automotive News Europe ten years later. Hailing from upstate New York, he is a graduate of Georgetown University. Follow all of Christiaan's stories here.
72%
The Daily's Verdict
This author has a mixed reputation for journalistic standards. It is advisable to fact-check, scrutinize for bias, and check for conflicts of interest before relying on the author's reporting.
Bias
86%
Examples:
- Elon Musk appears to be back to making big promises.
- Many fear the stock price, which has already been down nearly 30% since January, will tumble further if speculation that he might resign from Tesla isn't swiftly put to bed.
- The author uses language like 'the brand confirmed Wall Street expectations on Tuesday that it had been eclipsed by Chinese rival BYD in the final months of 2023 for the first time ever in a quarter.' This implies that BYD's success is due to government support rather than its own merits.
- The author uses language like 'the entrepreneur himself has convinced many of his devoted retail investors that selling 20 million cars annually (10 times the current capability) is a realistic target by the end of this decade.' This implies that BYD's success is due to government support rather than its own merits.
- The author uses language like 'the entrepreneur's $800 billion megacap carmaker is worth ten times the value of BYD, and maintaining a high double-digit rate of vehicle sales growth is a fundamental pillar in Tesla's narrative.' This implies that BYD's success is due to government support rather than its own merits.
Conflicts of Interest
75%
Examples:
- The problem with the package for investors is that rewarding past performance with that amount of stock priced at an 87% discount could be litigated as a case of corporate waste. However, Denholm argues the restoration of Musk's deep-in-the-money call options on 304 million shares is only fair.
Contradictions
93%
Examples:
- The latest in a series of price cuts that have wreaked cascading harm to the value of used Teslas now reduces the Model Y's starting price to $42,990 before federal tax credit.
Deceptions
52%
Examples:
- The headline used by the author as an excuse for Tesla's price cut comes from another source and does not provide any context or clarification on how it relates specifically to Tesla.
- The statement 'Most people don't love to buy cars in the middle of winter' is deceptive because there is no evidence provided to support this claim.
- The statement that 'Tesla is experiencing demand issues due to weather conditions' is deceptive because there is no evidence of this in the text.
Recent Articles
Bill Ackman's Pershing Square USA IPO Postponed: Reduced Fundraising Target and Market Volatility Cited
Broke On: Friday, 26 July 2024Billionaire Bill Ackman postponed Pershing Square USA's IPO on July 26, 2024, due to difficulty raising the initial $25 billion target. The fundraising goal was reduced to between $2.5 billion and $4 billion. The delay comes after filing with the SEC and may impact investor sentiment towards Ackman's investment strategies. 
Nasdaq Suffers $1 Trillion Loss as AI Investor Sentiment Turns: Nvidia, Broadcom, Google Affected
Broke On: Friday, 26 July 2024On July 24, 2024, the Nasdaq 100 Index suffered its worst day since October 2022, with losses totaling over $1 trillion due to investors souring on Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology. The sell-off was led by semiconductor companies and raised concerns about substantial investments in AI and its potential return on investment. GameStop Raises $2.14B in Equity Offering Amid Meme Stock Frenzy and Roaring Kitty's Influence
Broke On: Wednesday, 12 June 2024GameStop, led by influential meme stock figure Roaring Kitty (Keith Gill), raised $2.14 billion through an equity offering in June 2024, intending to use the funds for corporate purposes and potential acquisitions or investments. The announcement followed a livestream where Gill joked about memes and discussed GameStop, causing stock volatility after previous failed attempts at a short squeeze. GameStop's Q1 results showed a 28.7% revenue decline to $881.8 million, prompting the company to sell shares amid retail buying frenzy. 
Roaring Kitty's Return: $586 Million GameStop Investor Sparks Market Volatility Amid SEC Scrutiny
Broke On: Friday, 07 June 2024Roaring Kitty, or Keith Gill, returned to social media and revealed a $586 million GameStop stock position, sparking renewed interest in the company. However, shares fell during his livestream due to first quarter earnings and a subsequent offering. The meme token market also saw volatility with Solana-based GME nearly doubling before paring gains. Gill faces scrutiny over potential market manipulation as regulators investigate. Elon Musk's $56 Billion Tesla Pay Package Up for Vote Amidst Controversy and Shareholder Concerns
Broke On: Saturday, 08 June 2024Elon Musk's $56 billion Tesla pay package faces a crucial vote at the annual meeting on Thursday, after being deemed invalid by a Delaware judge. Supporters like Robyn Denholm and Ron Baron advocate for ratification, while critics including Norges Bank Investment Management plan to vote against it due to concerns over size and key person risk. Tesla's shares have declined 28% this year amid slower sales growth in China and product recalls. 
Tesla Offers $1,000 Discount on Model Y in Winter to Boost Sales
Broke On: Monday, 12 February 2024Tesla is offering a $1,000 discount on Model Y in the US during winter. The promotion will only be valid through February 29th. 
Tesla vs BYD: Who is currently leading in EV production?
Broke On: Wednesday, 03 January 2024Tesla and BYD are two of the world's largest electric vehicle (EV) manufacturers. In Q4 2023, Tesla reported delivering 485,000 vehicles while BYD delivered more than half a million units.
