Shareholders argued he misled them together along with his posts in August 2018, and that they had misplaced billions of bucks due to them.
The proposed $72bn (£60bn) buyout in no way materialised.
If discovered liable, Musk might have been ordered to pay out billions in damages.
It took the 9 jurors much less than hours to attain their verdict at the class-movement lawsuit on Friday afternoon.
Mr Musk – who had desired the trial moved to Texas, in which Tesla is primarily based totally, arguing he couldn’t get a truthful trial in San Francisco – welcomed the outcome.
Elon Musk found not guilty of fraud over Tesla tweet
Taking to Twitter, the social media platform he sold for $44bn remaining October, he posted: “Thank goodness, the awareness of the humans has prevailed!
“I am deeply appreciative of the jury`s unanimous locating of innocence withinside the Tesla 420 take-non-public case.”
Number of group of workers suing Twitter ‘is going up daily’
‘Elon Musk has made me embarrassed to power my Tesla’
Central to the lawsuit changed into Mr Musk’s tweet on 7 August 2018: “Am thinking about taking Tesla non-public at $420. Funding secured.”
The plaintiffs additionally argued Mr Musk had lied whilst he tweeted later withinside the day that “investor help is confirmed”.
The inventory rate surged after the tweets, however fell lower back once more inside days because it have become clean the deal could now no longer cross through.
According to an economist employed via way of means of the shareholders, investor losses have been calculated as excessive as $12bn, after many made selections approximately shopping for and promoting their stocks primarily based totally at the tweet.
The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) sued Mr Musk over his tweets, accusing him of mendacity to traders. Mr Musk agreed to step apart as Tesla board chairman and settled for $20m.
During the three-week trial, Mr Musk – who additionally leads SpaceX and Twitter – had argued he idea he had a verbal dedication from Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund for the deal.
During his almost 9 hours at the witness stand, the world’s second-richest guy stated: “Just due to the fact I tweet some thing does now no longer suggest humans accept as true with it or will act accordingly.”
Shareholders had argued that “investment secured” counseled greater than a verbal agreement.
Just a ‘terrible tweet’?
Although Tesla’s percentage rate shot up after the tweet changed into posted, Mr Musk additionally puzzled whether or not his tweets had any impact on Tesla’s percentage rate.
“At one factor I tweeted that I idea that, in my opinion, the inventory rate changed into too excessive… and it went higher, that is counterintuitive,” he stated – arguing the impact his tweets have at the inventory rate may be unpredictable.
Mr Musk stated he sooner or later scrapped the plan to take Tesla non-public after his discussions with smaller traders led him to accept as true with they could choose that the organization stay publicly traded.
He changed into now no longer in courtroom docket whilst the decision changed into read, however he changed into gift at some point of remaining arguments in advance on Friday as duelling photographs have been drawn of him via way of means of the rival criminal teams.
Nicholas Porritt, a attorney for the Tesla shareholders, stated: “Our society is primarily based totally on regulations. We want regulations to shop us from anarchy. Rules ought to observe to Elon Musk like all people else.”
Mr Musk’s attorney, Alex Spiro, stated: “Just due to the fact it is a terrible tweet would not make it a fraud.”
After the decision, Mr Porritt stated: “We are upset with the decision and are thinking about subsequent steps.”
Mr Musk changed into usually calm at some point of his testimony – aleven though at instances he regarded irritated at the road of questioning.
There have been additionally instances of levity. After a attorney representing shareholders by chance referred to as Elon Musk “Mr Tweet”, Elon Musk directly modified his call on Twitter to the identical moniker.
Several Tesla administrators additionally testified, which include James Murdoch, son of Rupert Murdoch. They testified that Mr Musk did now no longer want the Tesla board to check buyout tweets.
Securities fraud attorney Reed Kathrein referred to as the tweet approximately taking Tesla non-public “as concrete a assertion of taking a organisation non-public as there may be”, and stated the now no longer responsible verdict changed into “a travesty to traders and the securities laws”.
