Photo: Anindya Bakrie
Tesla CEO Elon Musk can multitask better than anyone out there, and his biographer Walter Isaacson shared a glimpse of the leader’s busy Monday.
“Late last night, after winning his battle for Twitter, @elonmusk was in Boca Chica and held his regular 10 pm meeting on Raptor engine design, where he spent more than an hour working on valve leak solutions. No one mentioned Twitter. He can multitask,” said Isaacson on Monday.
Isaacson added on Tuesday morning, “Earlier yesterday, just before the Twitter announcement was made, he was meeting at the Tesla Austin gigafactory with Indonesia’s Minister for Investment Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan about battery supply chains and mines.”
The meeting with Indonesian officials was about a potential nickel supply deal for Tesla, according to an Instagram post shared on Monday by business magnate Anindya Novyan Bakrie and Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, Indonesia’s Minister of Maritime and Investment Affairs.
“I did not expect to be greeted so cordially and cordially by the CEO of Tesla, Inc. Elon Musk at the Tesla Giga Factory in Austin, Texas. This is indeed the first time for Elon and I to meet, but actually our communication has been established for the past two years. For about an hour, I conveyed the potential raw material for electric vehicle batteries, which we are currently exploring through the mineral downstream program,” said Pandjaitan, according to Google Translate from Indonesian.
“According to Elon’s assistant, it was unusual for him to receive guests like this time. I saw enthusiasm and interest in his face, but I was curious as to why Elon, who was a bit stiff with some policies related to the electric vehicle industry and nickel processing in Indonesia, is now excited. Is it because the rainy weather that has just fallen in Texas after a long time has brought its own blessings to our delegation team, or is it indeed the figure of President @jokowi who is considered by Elon as one of the “reputable” heads of state because he has proven to be able to keep the Indonesian economy stable even in the current pandemic?”, added the minister.
“Apart from that, what relieved me the most was when Elon conveyed the reason for his interest in this collaboration, namely because my exposure to the huge potential of the Nickel Industry in Indonesia changed his perception because he considered it very promising to be able to supply raw materials for electric car batteries, which is really needed by Tesla, of course, as one of the leading electric vehicle manufacturers,” said Pandjaitan.
Pandjaitan said on May 14, when Indonesian President Joko Widodo’s state visit the U.S., Musk promised to change his schedule to meet with the latter, who will also visit SpaceX.
Musk was also invited to visit Indonesia for the B-20 forum, a G20 event slated to be held in Bali in November.
The post includes a series of photos of Bakrie, who is general chair of the Advisory Council of Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and the group of Indonesian officials with Musk.
Others in attendance at the delegation included Indonesia’s Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan and Indonesian Ambassador to the U.S. Rosan Roeslani.
In a statement about the content of the meeting, Luhut said, “For about an hour, I conveyed the potential raw material for electric vehicle batteries, which we are currently exploring through the mineral downstream program.”
The photos culminate with a video of Musk and Bakrie holding up a document in front of the camera in front of a conference table of the other officials.
Musk also agreed to meet with Indonesia’s President, Joko Widodo on an upcoming visit to the U.S., according to Bakrie.
“Today seems to be a good day for him because his planned acquisition of Twitter for USD 44 billion was accepted by the company’s Board, so he will own a company whose one of the biggest users is Indonesia. He deserves to be in a good and fun mood,” added Bakrie.
