Elon Musk Wins Battle to Legally Reopen Tesla Factory in California

• Elon Musk is taking a victory lap after getting the green light to reopen the Fremont facility.
• Musk drove Alameda County officials to make a tough call.
• Elon Musk’s antics over the last few weeks have paid off for Tesla.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk is in a cheerful mood after winning his fight to resume operations at his company’s Fremont facility. To put the cherry on top, the billionaire is enjoying a healthy serving of sundae ice cream.

Alameda Council: Tesla’s Fremont Facility Can Reopen Next Week

On Tuesday, the Silicon Valley electric carmaker resumed operations, directly violating Alameda County’s shelter-in-place orders. Musk, who has previously called lockdown measures “fascist,” appears to have taken the law into his own hands. At least after the state of California gave Tesla the green light but an unelected county official ignored the decision.

Musk informed the county’s officials that he would be at the assembly line, ready to be arrested. But the police never came. Instead, Alameda County’s Office of Emergency Services wrote a press release.

According to the document, Tesla can fully reopen next week provided the company puts certain safety protocols in place:

We reviewed the plan and held productive discussions today with Tesla’s representatives about their safety and prevention plans… We have agreed that Tesla can begin to augment their Minimum Business Operations this week in preparation for possible reopening as soon as next week.

Musk’s Battle to Get Tesla Back on Track Was Far From Pretty

Elon Musk began to publicly call out quarantine measures after Bay Area officials decided to extend the lockdown. The extension was in direct conflict with Tesla’s plans to resume operations on May 4. This drew the ire of Musk, who said shelter-in-place orders are unconstitutional.

Tesla’s CEO escalated the situation by taking the fight to court.

Musk added more pressure to local officials by announcing that Tesla’s headquarters will leave the state immediately. He also threatened to close the Fremont factory if the local government does not give Tesla fair treatment.

Without hearing any favorable response from the government, Musk decided to take matters into his own hands. He put Alameda County officials in a quandary: either they arrest him, or they succumb to his demands.

“Life should be lived,” says Musk in a recent tweet. Congratulations, and enjoy your well-deserved sundae.