The company was named after the inventor Nikola Tesla (1856-1943). He was known for discovering the properties of rotating electromagnet fields, leading to the "altering current" which is a form of electrical transmission used today.

Martin Eberhard is an American entrepreneur who cofounded the electric car company Tesla Motors, serving as CEO unitl 2007. He studied at the University of Illinois at Urbana Champain and earned a bachelors degree in computer engineering, and a masters in electrical engineering but is most well known as being cofounder of Tesla.

Marc Tarpenning is an American entrepreneur who cofounded the electric car company Tesla MotorsHe was raised in Sacramento California and earned a bachelor's degree in computer science from University of California, Berkeley.

Elon Musk is currently the CEO of Tesla, he cofounded the electronic payment firm PayPal, and founded the spacecraft company Space X. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Physics and a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from the Wharton School.