Elon Musk has long been credited with turning Tesla into a beacon of innovation, the visionary who pushed the world into an era of electrification. But

Tesla has sent a message that Musk "isn't untouchable," said Quartz. The report of the board's willingness to replace him was likely part of a "game of high-stakes poker between the board and Musk" in which the board was firing a "warning shot," said Wedbush analyst Daniel Ives. It is likely Musk will remain CEO for at least five years.

The five largest companies -- Apple, Microsoft, Nvidia, Amazon, and Alphabet -- were worth nearly $15 trillion when Musk first said Tesla could surpass their combined market values. The implied 17-fold return from its current market value of $879 billion means $50,000 invested in Tesla stock today could be worth $850,000 in the future.