By Rachael Levy
作者：Rachael Levy
June 3 (Reuters) - Joe Gebbia, the Tesla Tsla.o Director Who Exited a Board Committee That Made Key Decisions About the Car Maker's Future, Told Reuters That CEO Elon Musk Had Discussed Purchasing a House From His Start-up and That He Was Concerned Their Friendship Could Be Seized on to Attack the Committee's Independence.
6月3日（路透社）- 特斯拉公司董事喬·吉比亞告訴路透社，特斯拉董事長埃隆·馬斯克曾與他討論從其創業公司購買房屋，他擔心他們的友誼會被利用來攻擊委員會的獨立性。TSLA . O吉比亞曾是特斯拉八名董事中被認爲足夠獨立可任職於特別委員會的兩位獨立董事之一，該委員會制定了關於公司從特拉華州遷入德克薩斯州的重要決策。
Gebbia, Whose Start-up Samara Makes Tiny Prefabricated Houses, Was One of Two Directors That Tesla's Eight-Member Board Deemed Independent Enough to Serve on a "Special Committee" That Deliberated on the Company Reincorporating From Delaware to Texas.
董事會在馬斯克於一月份要求特斯拉將其公司總部遷出德拉華州並因法院駁回了他560億美元的工資方案後，成立了該特別委員會。
The Board Formed the Special Committee After Musk Called in January for Tesla to Move Its Corporate Domicile Out of Delaware, Where a Court Shot Down His $56 Billion Pay Package.
據監管文件顯示，該特別委員會最初由吉比亞、Airbnb聯合創始人之一和沃爾格林-聯合博姿前人力資源主管凱瑟琳·威爾遜-湯普森組成。特斯拉在得知法院駁回他的工資方案後，後來成立了該特別委員會，以探討公司重組的各個方面。特別委員會最初由吉比亞、飛凡一名聯合創始人以及沃爾格林-聯合博姿公司前人力資源主管凱瑟琳·威爾遜-湯普森組成，監管文件顯示。
The Special Committee Was Initially Comprised of Gebbia, an Airbnb Abnb.o Co-Founder, and Kathleen Wilson-Thompson, a Former Walgreens Boots Alliance Wba.o Human Resources Chief, According to a Regulatory Filing.
特別委員會最初由吉比阿和Airbnb聯合創始人以及沃爾格林-聯合博姿公司的前人力資源主管凱瑟琳·威爾森·湯普森組成。ABNB . O特別委員會最初由吉比亞、Airbnb聯合創始人之一和沃爾格林-聯合博姿前人力資源主管凱瑟琳·威爾遜-湯普森組成。WBA . O特別委員會最初由吉比亞、Airbnb聯合創始人之一和沃爾格林-聯合博姿前人力資源主管凱瑟琳·威爾遜-湯普森組成。
Gebbia Stepped Down From the Committee in March After Its Mandate Was Expanded From Deciding on the Redomestication to Also Considering What to Do About Musk's Pay Package, the Filing States. His Exit Left Behind a Special Committee of One, an UnUsUaL Corporate Governance Setup That Has Been Criticized by Some of Tesla's Shareholders.
根據監管文件，吉比亞在委員會的職責從決定重組轉爲考慮馬斯克的工資計劃時於三月份辭去了委員會的職務，他的離去留下了一個特別委員會的成員，這是一個非常不尋常的公司治理結構，受到了特斯拉的一些股東的批評。
Gebbia Left the Special Committee "Out of an Abundance of Caution", Citing His Personal Relationship With Musk and a "Potential Business Transaction" Involving Samara That Was "Currently on Hold", According to the Filing.
監管文件顯示，吉比亞‘出於謹慎起見’從委員會辭職，並稱他與馬斯克的個人關係以及涉及飛凡的‘潛在商業交易’，目前‘已經暫停’。
Gebbia Told Reuters That the Transaction the Filing Was Referring to Was About Musk Potentially Buying a House Made by Samara.
吉比亞對路透社表示，文件中提到的交易是指馬斯克可能購買由Samara製造的房屋。
"I Did Not Want Elon's Status as a Potential Customer of Samara to Be Used Against the Committee, so I Disclosed That I Had Put That Potential Business Transaction on Hold," Gebbia Said in a Statement.
‘我不希望馬斯克作爲Samara的潛在客戶被用來攻擊委員會，所以我披露了我將潛在的商業交易擱置的事實，’吉比亞在一份聲明中表示。
The Special Committee's Lawyers at Sidley Austin Concluded That Gebbia's Ties to Musk Did Not Constitute A Conflict of Interest That Jeopardized Gebbia's Independence, According to the Regulatory Filing. Gebbia, However, Chose to Step Down From the Special Committee Regardless.
該特別委員會的律師事務所Sidley Austin得出結論，吉比亞與馬斯克的關係並不構成威脅委員會獨立性的利益衝突，吉比亞不管怎樣，還是選擇辭去了委員會。
"I Believed I Was and Am Independent, but Decided to Step Down Because I Did Not Want My Relationship With Elon to Be Used to Unfairly Attack the Committee," Gebbia Said in a Statement to Reuters.
吉比亞在接受路透社採訪時表示：‘我相信我是獨立的，但是我決定辭職，因爲我不希望我的與埃隆的關係被用來不公平地攻擊委員會。’
Tesla Chair Robyn Denholm Said in Her Own Statement to Reuters That the Board Followed Delaware Law in Setting up the Special Committee, and That It Was Committed to Strong Corporate Governance. "Whether and Where to Reincorporate Was Clearly a Board Decision, Not a CEO Decision," Denholm Said.
特斯拉董事長羅賓·丹霍姆在接受路透社採訪時表示，董事會遵循了特拉華州的法律，設立了特別委員會，並致力於強烈的公司治理。‘公司是否和何時有轉型計劃，顯然是董事會的決策，而不是CEO的決策，’丹霍姆表示。
Musk and Wilson-Thompson Could Not Be Reached for Comment.
無法聯繫到Musk和Wilson-Thompson以發表評論。
The Previously Unreported Details on the Circumstances of Gebbia's Exit From the Special Committee Shed New Light on Tesla's Efforts to Counter Criticism That Many of Its Directors Are Beholden to Musk.
關於Gebbia辭去特委會的細節的未報告內容，揭示了特斯拉努力應對批評的新視角，即其許多董事受Musk支配。
Convincing Investors That Its Board Can Deliberate Without Influence From Its Larger-Than-Life CEO Will Be Key to Tesla Securing Shareholder Approval for Its Move From Delaware to Texas and for Reinstating Musk's Pay Package In a Vote at the Company's Annual Meeting on June 13.
說服投資者，證明其董事會可以獨立決策脫離超然的CEO的影響，將對特斯拉在從德拉華州遷移到德克薩斯以及恢復Musk的薪酬包的股東投票中獲得批准至關重要。在公司6月13日年度股東大會上進行投票。。
Proxy Solicitor Glass Lewis and a Group That Represents the Interest of Workers Invested in Union Pension Funds Last Month Questioned the Special Committee's Findings and Called on Other Tesla Shareholders to Reject Both Moves. Institutional Shareholder Services, Another Proxy Adviser, Also Recommended Against Reinstating Musk's Pay Package, but Sided in Favor of the Move From Delaware to Texas.
代理律師Glass Lewis和代表工會養老基金利益的團體上月質疑了特委會的調查結果，並呼籲其他特斯拉股東拒絕這兩項提案。另一家代理顧問機構機構股東服務也建議反對恢復馬斯克的薪酬方案，但贊成從德拉華州遷移到德克薩斯。。另一家代理顧問機構機構股東服務建議反對恢復馬斯克的薪酬方案，但贊成從德拉華州遷移到德克薩斯。。另一家代理顧問機構機構股東服務建議反對恢復馬斯克的薪酬方案，但贊成從德拉華州遷移到德克薩斯。
"Several Legal Experts Expect Texas to Prove More Forgiving to Directors and Executives When It Comes to Reviewing Corporate Acts Such as the Approval of Pay Packages," Glass Lewis Wrote in Its Recommendation. Tesla's Special Committee, on the Other Hand, Found That the Litigation Rights of Investors Are "Substantially Equivalent" in Texas and Delaware.
“幾位法律專家認爲，德克薩斯在審查公司決策（例如批准薪酬方案）時可能會更寬容，”Glass Lewis在其建議中寫道。另一方面，特斯拉的特委會發現，在得克薩斯州和德拉華州，投資者的訴訟權利“實質等同”。
Wilson-Thompson, Who Also Sits on the Boards of Drug Wholesaler Mckesson Mck.n and Footwear Maker Wolverine Worldwide Www.n, Made Decisions for Tesla's Special Committee in Consultation With Several Advisers She Tapped, the Regulatory Filing Shows.
Wilson-Thompson還同時擔任藥品批發商麥克森和鞋類製造商Wolverine Worldwide的董事。麥克森和鞋類製造商Wolverine Worldwide 。根據監管文件顯示，Wilson-Thompson與她任命的幾位顧問協商後爲特斯拉的專委會作出決定。
Special Committees Are Deliberative Bodies Responsible for Deciding Some of a Company's Thorniest Issues Independent of Management or Controlling Shareholders. Having a Special Committee of One Director Is Rare and Could Make the Company More Vulnerable to Legal Challenges, Four Corporate Governance Experts Said in Interviews.
特別委員會是負責獨立於管理層或控股股東決定某些公司最棘手問題的研究機構。四位公司治理專家在採訪中表示，一個只由一名董事組成的特別委員會很少見，可能會使公司更容易受到法律挑戰。
"Tesla Has Employed Something Akin to Corporate Governance-Lite... a Board Substantially Comprised of the Ceo's Friends and Family," Said Adam Epstein, Whose Firm Third Creek Advisors Advises Company Boards.
第三溪岸顧問公司爲公司董事會提供諮詢。該公司顧問Adam Epstein表示：“特斯拉採用的幾乎是輕型公司治理……董事會實質上由CEO的親友組成。”
Delaware Ruling
德拉華裁決
The Delaware Judge Who in January Ruled That Tesla's $56 Billion Payout to Musk Should Be Rescinded, Because It Was Unfair to Shareholders, Questioned in Her Ruling the Independence of the Board That Approved It.
1月份進行裁決，認爲特斯拉560億美元向Musk支付的薪酬應被撤銷，因爲這對股東不公平，質疑批准此事的董事會是否獨立。
"at Least as to This Transaction, Musk Controlled Tesla," the Judge, Kathaleen McCormick, Wrote in Her Ruling, Referring to the Board's Decision to Grant Musk's Pay Package. the Package Was Worth as Much as $56 Billion, but Is Now Valued at About $43 Billion Based on Tesla's Current Stock Price.
法官Kathaleen McCormick在其裁決中寫道：“至少在這次交易中，Musk控制了特斯拉，”指的是董事會批准授予Musk薪酬方案的決定。該方案價值高達560億美元，但根據特斯拉目前的股價，價值約爲430億美元。
Since the Approval of Musk's Payout in 2018, Five Directors Have Remained on Tesla's Board: Venture Capitalist Ira Ehrenpreis, Former Twenty-First Century Fox Chief Executive James Murdoch, Denholm, Musk, and His Brother Kimbal.
自2018年批准Musk的薪酬以來，有五名董事留任特斯拉董事會：風險投資家Ira Ehrenpreis、前21世紀福克斯首席執行官詹姆斯·默多克、丹霍姆、馬斯克和他的兄弟Kimbal。
McCormick Criticized Ehrenpreis, Murdoch and Denholm as Beholden to Musk, and Said She Expected Musk's Brother to Be Loyal to Him. in Its Regulatory Filings, Tesla Has Stated That Jb Straubel, a Musk Protégé and Former Tesla Chief Technology Officer Who Has Since Joined the Board, Owns a Company That Provides Scrap Materials to Tesla.
McCormick批評Ehrenpreis、Murdoch和丹霍姆爲Musk的心腹，並表示她希望Musk的兄弟對他忠誠。特斯拉在其監管文件中聲明，Musk的門徒和前特斯拉首席技術官Jb Straubel擁有一家向特斯拉提供廢材的公司。
That Left Only Two Out of Eight Directors – Gebbia and Wilson-Thompson – as Independent Enough to Serve on the Special Committee, Well Below Corporate America's Average of 85% of Directors in a Board Deemed Independent of the Chief Executive, According to Corporate Consulting Firm Spencer Stuart.
這樣一來，僅有8名董事中的兩名（Gebbia和Wilson-Thompson）足夠獨立服務於特別委員會，明顯低於美國公司董事會爲獨立於首席執行官的董事所作的平均值85％，根據企業諮詢公司Spencer Stuart的數據。
Precedent
先例
Delaware Courts Have Found That One-Member Special Committees Are Permissible, IF the Director Can Be Shown to Be Independent.
特拉華州法院曾發現，如果可以證明董事獨立，則可以成立一名特別委員會。
In November 2023, for Example, a Delaware Judge Upheld Drug Distributor Amerisourcebergen's Decision to Form a One-Member Special Committee to Decide on Litigation Facing the Company, Ruling That the Director Involved Was Independent. In April, in a Case Involving Online Dating Company Match Group Mtch.o, Delaware's Supreme Court Ruled That Every Member of a Special Committee Should Be Independent, Showing That Having More Than One Independent Director Does Not Shield the Committee From Legal Challenges.
例如，2023年11月，一名特拉華法官裁定藥品分銷商美源伯根(AmerisourceBergen)決定組建一個單一委員會來決定該公司面臨的訴訟，裁定參與的董事是獨立的。今年4月，在一起涉及在線約會公司Match Group的案件中，特拉華州最高法院裁定特別委員會的每個成員都應該是獨立的，這表明擁有一個以上獨立董事並不能使委員會免受法律挑戰。截至此時，僅有兩名獨立董事Ge和Wilson-Thompson是在特別委員會上的，遠遠低於美國企業平均擁有85％獨立於首席執行官的董事的比例。比如，2023年11月，一位特拉華州法官支持藥品分銷商美源伯根形成一個單一的專門委員會，來決定公司面對的訴訟。判決指出，涉及的董事是獨立的。而在今年4月涉及在線約會公司Match Group的一起案件中，特拉華州的最高法院裁定：專門委員會的每個成員都應該是獨立的。這表明，擁有超過一個獨立董事並不能使委員會免受法律挑戰。
The Corporate Governance Experts Reuters Interviewed, However, Said That Staffing Special Committees With One Director Was a Risky Choice, Because Courts in Delaware Have Ruled That the Sole Member Has to Be Above Reproach "Like Caesar's Wife".
但路透社採訪的企業治理專家表示，爲特別委員會任命一名董事是一種冒險的選擇，因爲特拉華州的法院曾裁定，唯一委員必須過得比凱撒的妻子還要好。
"the Court Is Likely to Be Particularly Suspicious of Whether the Single Director Was Truly Independent and Acted With Care and Might Allow, for Example, More Discovery Into That Issue IF There Is a Suggestion of Lack of Independence," Said Ann Lipton, a Corporate Law Professor at Tulane University.
「如果只有一名獨立董事，則法院很可能特別懷疑這位單一董事是否真正獨立並且是否行事謹慎。如果存在缺乏獨立的建議，法院可能會允許更多的發掘。」如圖朗大學的公司法教授Ann Lipton說。
(Reporting by Rachael Levy in Washington, D.c.
Editing by Greg Roumeliotis and Diane Craft)
（華盛頓特區的Rachael Levy報道
Greg Roumeliotis和Diane Craft編寫）
((Greg.roumeliotis@Thomsonreuters.com; +1 646 223 6022; Reuters Messaging: Greg.roumeliotis.thomsonreuters.com@Reuters.net))
((Greg.roumeliotis@thomsonreuters.com; +1 646 223 6022; 路透社通訊：Greg.roumeliotis.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net))