3M vs Tesla: Founders, CEOs and History
3M was founded in 1902 by J. Danley Budd, John Dwan, Henry S. Bryan and is led by William M. "Bill" Brown. Tesla was founded in 2003 by Martin Eberhard, Marc Tarpenning, Elon Musk and is led by Elon Musk.
Company facts
Founders
3M
J. Danley Budd
Budd was the doctor among 3M's five founders. The others were attorney John Dwan, meat market owner Hermon W. Cable, and railroad men Henry S. Bryan and William A. McGonagle.
John Dwan
John Dwan was one of the five original founders of 3M, contributing his legal expertise and local Minnesota business connections to the venture's organization in 1902.
Henry S. Bryan
Bryan was one of the two railroad men in the founding group, alongside William A. McGonagle, and joined physician J. Danley Budd, attorney John Dwan and meat market owner Hermon W.
Hermon W. Cable
Cable was the merchant of the founding group, which also included physician J. Danley Budd, attorney John Dwan and railroad men Henry S. Bryan and William A. McGonagle.
William A. McGonagle
McGonagle and Henry S. Bryan were the railroad men of the founding group; the others were physician J. Danley Budd, attorney John Dwan and meat market owner Hermon W. Cable.
Tesla
Martin Eberhard
Martin Eberhard is an American electrical engineer who co-founded Tesla Motors and was its first CEO. He had earlier co-founded NuvoMedia, the company that made the Rocket eBook.
Marc Tarpenning
Marc Tarpenning co-founded Tesla Motors in 2003 and served in early finance, engineering and operating roles, including CFO and vice president of engineering.
Elon Musk
Elon Musk's role in Tesla's founding story is best understood as financier, chairman, product force and later crisis CEO.
JB Straubel
JB Straubel became Tesla's founding CTO and one of the most important technical architects in the company's history.
Ian Wright
Ian Wright is listed among Tesla's early founding figures because he contributed to the company's initial vehicle thinking and engineering direction.
CEOs and their tenures
3M
- William McKnight1914–1966
General Manager, President, and Chairman
William Lester McKnight is more responsible than any founder for creating the organizational philosophy and cultural infrastructure that made 3M's sustained innovation record possible across the twentieth century.
Source - Lew Lehr1980–1986
Chief Executive Officer
Lew Lehr led 3M during one of its most commercially successful periods, overseeing the national launch of Post-it Notes in 1980 and managing the company's expansion into international markets during a period of strong global economic growth.
Source - James McNerney2001–2005
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
W. James McNerney Jr. was the first CEO hired from outside 3M, arriving from General Electric in 2001. He introduced GE-style Six Sigma process discipline and cost controls across 3M before leaving in mid-2005 to become chairman and CEO of Boeing.
Source - George Buckley2005–2012
Chief Executive Officer
George Buckley, who joined 3M from Brunswick Corporation in 2005, is credited with reinvesting in 3M's research and development capabilities after a period under his predecessor James McNerney when cost-cutting had reduced R&D spending and raised questions abo…
Source - Inge G. Thulin2012–2018
Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer
Swedish-born Inge G. Thulin, a 3M veteran who had built its international business and served as chief operating officer, became president and CEO on February 24, 2012, succeeding George Buckley.
Source - Michael F. Roman2018–2024
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
Michael F. Roman, previously 3M's chief operating officer, succeeded Inge Thulin as CEO on July 1, 2018.
Source - William M. Brown2024–present
Chief Executive Officer
William M. "Bill" Brown became 3M's CEO on May 1, 2024, weeks after the April 1 spin-off of Solventum, succeeding Michael Roman.
Source
Tesla
- Martin Eberhard2003–2007
Chief Executive Officer
Served as founding CEO from 2003 to August 2007, establishing the core technical thesis of high-performance electric vehicles and directing early engineering on the EP1 and EP2 Roadster prototypes before development delays and cost overruns prompted a board re…
Source - Ze'ev Drori2007–2008
Chief Executive Officer
Served as CEO from November 2007 to October 2008 during Tesla's initial manufacturing transition, bringing the Roadster from troubled prototypes into customer deliveries and establishing production discipline before handing leadership to Elon Musk.
Source - Elon Reeve Musk2008–present
CEO
Led Tesla's transformation from a niche electric roadster project into the world's leading EV manufacturer, scaling global Gigafactories, Supercharger infrastructure, and autonomous driving architectures.
Source
Timeline: 3M and Tesla side by side
19023M
Company Founded in Two Harbors, Minnesota
Five Minnesota businessmen incorporate the Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company with the intention of mining corundum abrasive mineral from a deposit on the Lake Superior shore.
19103M
Relocation to Saint Paul and First Laboratory
3M relocates its operations to Saint Paul, Minnesota, establishing the geographic base that it would maintain for the remainder of the twentieth century.
19213M
Wetordry Waterproof Sandpaper Introduced
Researcher Francis Okie develops Wetordry waterproof sandpaper, the first 3M product to achieve significant commercial success by offering genuine technical differentiation from competing products.
19253M
Masking Tape Invented by Richard Drew
Richard Drew, a 3M laboratory researcher who observed automotive painters struggling with imprecise color boundary masking, develops a pressure-sensitive masking tape that allows clean paint line definition without surface damage upon removal.
19303M
Scotch Transparent Tape Commercialized
Richard Drew extends his adhesive tape work to create a transparent, pressure-sensitive tape initially called Scotch tape.
19623M
Headquarters Moves to 3M Center in Maplewood
After 52 years in St. Paul, 3M outgrew its campus and moved its headquarters to 3M Center in Maplewood, Minnesota, where it remains.
19763M
3M Added to the Dow Jones Industrial Average
3M is added to the Dow Jones Industrial Average, reflecting its status as one of the defining companies of American industrial manufacturing.
19803M
Post-it Note Launched Nationally
After a limited test market launch in 1977 and a national rollout beginning in 1980, Post-it Notes become one of the most successful new product launches in 3M history.
19963M
Imation Spin-off
3M spun off its data storage and imaging businesses as Imation Corporation, shedding about 20% of its sales in product lines such as removable storage media and photographic film.
20023M
Legal Name Changed to 3M Company
On April 8, 2002, 3M's centennial year, Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company changed its legal name to 3M Company, adopting the abbreviation it had long used as its brand.
2003Tesla
Tesla Motors Founded
Tesla Motors was founded in 2003 by Martin Eberhard and Marc Tarpenning to prove that lithium-ion batteries could power a desirable electric car.
2004Tesla
Elon Musk Leads Series A
Elon Musk led Tesla's Series A financing in 2004 and became chairman. The investment gave Tesla enough capital and public credibility to continue Roadster development.
2008Tesla
Roadster Launch
The Roadster launched in 2008 as a highway-capable electric sports car with more than 200 miles of range. It mattered because it proved an EV could be fast, premium and emotionally desirable.
2008Tesla
Elon Musk Becomes CEO
Musk became CEO in 2008 during a severe financing and production crisis. He restructured operations, secured emergency funding and pushed the company toward a clearer product sequence.
2010Tesla
Tesla IPO
Tesla went public in 2010, raising capital while still far from stable profitability. The IPO mattered because it gave Tesla access to public-market funding for product development and manufacturing.
2012Tesla
Model S Launch
The Model S launched in 2012 and moved Tesla beyond the Roadster niche. It mattered because it combined range, software, performance and premium design in a vehicle Tesla controlled more fully.
2014Tesla
Gigafactory Strategy Announced
Tesla announced the Gigafactory strategy in 2014 with Panasonic as a key partner. The move mattered because batteries were the limiting input for EV scale, cost and range.
2016Tesla
SolarCity Acquired
Tesla's 2016 SolarCity acquisition is company-specific because it changed the portfolio rather than simply adding scale. The reported value was $2.6B.
2017Tesla
Model 3 Production Crisis
The Model 3 ramp in 2017 exposed severe bottlenecks caused partly by excessive automation. The crisis mattered because Tesla's mass-market strategy depended on producing a lower-priced vehicle at high volume.
20203M
Record N95 Respirator Production During COVID-19
3M expands N95 respirator production capacity at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, ultimately producing more than 2.5 billion respirators between January 2020 and year-end 2021.
2020Tesla
S&P 500 Inclusion
Tesla joined the S&P 500 in 2020 after proving sustained profitability. The milestone mattered because it brought index-fund ownership, wider institutional attention and validation that Tesla was no longer a speculative startup.
20233M
Landmark PFAS and Combat Arms Settlements Announced
3M announces separate landmark settlements addressing its two largest litigation liabilities: a $10.3 billion settlement with municipalities across the United States over PFAS water contamination, to be paid over thirteen years, and a $6.01 billion settlement…
2023Tesla
Global Price Cuts
Tesla cut prices across major markets in 2023 to defend demand and pressure competitors. The move mattered because it showed Tesla could use its direct-sales model to adjust faster than dealer-based rivals.
20243M
Solventum Healthcare Spinoff Completed
3M completes the spinoff of its healthcare business segment into a separately listed public company named Solventum Corporation in April 2024.
20243M
William Brown Appointed CEO
William M. Brown, former chair and CEO of L3Harris Technologies, becomes 3M's Chief Executive Officer on May 1, 2024, succeeding Mike Roman, who became executive chairman.
2025Tesla
$94.8B Revenue and Delivery Decline
In FY2025, Tesla reported $94.8B in revenue and delivered 1,636,129 vehicles. The milestone mattered because revenue and deliveries both showed the company had entered a more mature, contested phase.
Acquisitions
3M
- M*Modal (technology business)2019$1B
- Acelity (KCI)2019$6.7B
- Scott Safety2017$2B
- Capital Safety Group2015$2.5B
- Cogent Systems2010$943M
- Aearo Technologies2008$1.2B
Tesla
- Maxwell Technologies2019$218M
- DeepScale2019Undisclosed
- Hibar Systems2019Undisclosed
- Perbix Machine Company2017$10.5M
- SolarCity2016$2.6B
- Grohmann Engineering2016$135M
Questions about 3M vs Tesla
Who is the CEO of 3M Company and Tesla, Inc.?
3M Company is led by William M. "Bill" Brown and Tesla, Inc. is led by Elon Musk. Both serve as the top executive responsible for the company's strategy, operations, and financial performance.
When was 3M Company founded vs Tesla, Inc.?
3M Company was founded in 1902 — 101 years before Tesla, Inc., which was founded in 2003. 3M Company's longer operating history gives it a deeper track record but also potentially more institutional inertia compared to the younger Tesla, Inc..
How many employees does 3M Company have compared to Tesla, Inc.?
3M Company employs approximately 60,500 people, while Tesla, Inc. employs approximately 134,785. Tesla, Inc. has the larger workforce at 134,785 employees, compared to 3M Company's 60,500. A higher headcount does not necessarily imply greater efficiency — it often reflects differences in business model (e.g., manufacturing vs. software).
Where are 3M Company and Tesla, Inc. headquartered?
Both 3M Company and Tesla, Inc. are headquartered in United States, meaning they operate under the same primary regulatory and tax environment.
Who founded 3M Company and Tesla, Inc.?
3M Company was founded by J. Danley Budd, John Dwan, Henry S. Bryan, Hermon W. Cable, William A. McGonagle. Tesla, Inc. was founded by Martin Eberhard, Marc Tarpenning, Elon Musk, JB Straubel, Ian Wright.
Which company has a longer operating history — 3M Company or Tesla, Inc.?
3M Company has been operating for approximately 124 years, making it the more established of the two companies. Tesla, Inc. has been in operation for around 23 years. A longer operating history often signals greater institutional resilience and brand recognition, though it can also mean slower adaptation to new market conditions.
Figures come from each company's filings and the sources linked beside them. Amounts reported in another currency are shown in US dollars at an approximate rate and marked with ~. Back to the 3M vs Tesla overview