“People thought they put down a deposit, not an unsecured loan to fund the company. Morally, it was wrong.” Musk was able to get outside counsel to provide an opinion that it was legal. Salzman also was repelled by Musk’s behavior: “He was tough on people and needlessly insensitive. That was just part of his DNA. It didn’t sit well with me.” On one unofficial board call with Kimbal listening in, Salzman tried to lay the ground for removing Musk as CEO. “I was furious at what these evil fools were trying to do to Elon,” Kimbal says. “I started yelling, ‘No way, no way, you’re not doing this.
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