*By Carlo Versano*
After [reports](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-08-23/musk-is-said-to-hire-morgan-stanley-to-help-take-tesla-private) circulated that Elon Musk hired Morgan Stanley to personally advise the CEO on his options to take Tesla private, watchers are wrestling with what's perhaps the question of the summer: is the innovative, but beleaguered automaker better off public or private? And maybe more interesting: is it better off with or without Musk at the helm?
Aaron Cole, managing editor of [Motor Authority](https://www.motorauthority.com/), remains skeptical that Tesla would flourish as a privately run company. Financial transparency and pressure from investors, both part of being public, make corporate governance stronger, he said.
"Tesla has a better route being a public company."
Furthermore, even with Morgan on board as an adviser, privatization would be a far-off future, Cole said. Despite Musk's public statements to the contrary, Cole pointed out the electric carmaker has "no reasonable" way to buy out its investors.
Cole doesn't buy the "cult of Elon" theory either. The CEO's erratic behavior has caused more harm than good, Cole said, and the company may actually benefit if Musk takes a leave of absence.
Cole anticipates Tesla is about to face serious competition from Porsche and Mercedes-Benz as they enter the high-end electric car sector. Musk's do-it-all approach to management is not feasible in a competitive marketplace, Cole said.
"If Elon stays, Tesla also has a tough road," he said.
For full interview [click here] (https://cheddar.com/videos/tesla-private-bid-inches-forward).
Peacock shared the trailer for the second season of the celebrity competition show, 'The Traitors.'
Darden, the parent company of chain restaurants like Olive Garden and Ruth's Chris Steakhouse, beat Wall Street estimates in its latest earnings report.
A former Facebook executive pled guilty to stealing more than $4 million from the company while she was employed there.
Rising safety concerns over water bead products marketed to kids have prompted major retailers like Amazon, Target and Walmart to pull some toys off their shelves.
The Congressional Budget Office said Friday it expects inflation to nearly hit the Federal Reserve's 2% target rate in 2024, as overall growth is expected to slow and unemployment is expected to rise into 2025, according to updated economic projections for the next two years.
Intel is out with a new product to challenge other big players in the space like Nvidia and AMD.
Stocks fell after the opening bell Friday but will end on another positive week.
Cheddar News' Need2Know is brought to you by Securitize, which helps unlock broader access to alternative investments in private businesses, funds, and other alternative assets. The private credit boom is here and the Hamilton Lane Senior Credit Opportunities Fund has tripled in assets under management in just six months from November 2022 through April this year. Visit Securitize.io to learn more.
Americans picked up their spending from October to November as the unofficial holiday season kicked off, underscoring that shoppers still have power to keep buying.
The average long-term U.S. mortgage rate dropped below 7% to its lowest level since early August, another boost for prospective homebuyers who have largely been held back by sharply higher borrowing costs and heightened competition for relatively few homes for sale.
