*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).
The growth of the metaverse is bringing new challenges to managing safe, diverse communities. Helping Cheddar kick off Women's History Month, Tiffany Xingyu Wang, chief marketing officer for AI-powered content moderation company Spectrum Labs, joined Cheddar's Opening Bell to discuss how platforms can help create safer, more inclusive online communities in the metaverse and about her own experience as a woman in technology. "Trust is really the new digital transformation, and it should not be a siloed task solely belonging to chief security officers, to privacy officers, or the people who were given the task of trust and safety," she said. "It should be a priority for all the C suite and a whole company to rally around."
Stocks closed lower Friday, with the Dow shedding 200 points as stocks fell overall for the second week in a row amid rising Russia-Ukraine tensions. Investors are on edge as U.S. officials including President Joe Biden say they expect a Russian attack on Ukraine in the coming days. Aadil Zaman, Partner at Wall Street Alliance Group, joins Closing Bell to discuss today's close, how consumers are shifting their mindset around COVID-19, earnings season, geopolitical tensions, and more.
Coming off of the latest NFL season, Draftkings has plans for growth and new bettors to join its platform following what it saw as a record year of state legalization of sports betting and Super Bowl action. CEO Jason Robins joined Cheddar News to talk about what in store for the company in 2022, including labor issues leading to the postponement of the MLB's spring training games and the NCAA's March Madness. "There's a lot of really exciting stuff that happens in the first couple of rounds all the way through to the championship game. So typically we've seen incredible activity during March Madness on the betting side," Robins said.
PlayersTV is bringing sports viewers Athletes On Demand, a subscription platform to provide fans with thousands of hours of sports content from their favorite athletes. CEO Angela Bundrant joined Cheddar News to discuss the new rollout. "People can expect to receive content or buy into content on demand that comes from their favorite athletes," said Bundrant, listing star partners like the Phoenix Suns' Chris Paul and New Orleans Pelicans' C.J. McCollum.
