Oh, and he was wearing a safety hat, they pointed out. Tesla has come under increased scrutiny after it missed production goals of its Model 3 car in August. The controversial billionaire recently backtracked on claiming to take Tesla private and despite his insistence that he doesn't need financing, critics remain unconvinced. Pundits have compared Tesla to Ford Motor Co. and the financial distress it experienced more than a decade ago. Experts have said getting finance, even though Musk may not think it necessary, wouldn't do any harm.