The 2018 tweet had already proven troublesome for Musk and Tesla. The Securities and Exchange Commission sued Musk for securities fraud in connection with the missive in 2018; he and Tesla settled and were ordered to pay a $40 million penalty, and Musk was required to step down as chair of the Tesla board for three years. His SEC settlement didn't just come with a monetary penalty — he agreed that his tweets about Tesla would be internally reviewed going forward.