A Glass House for Elon Musk Sparks Internal Tesla Probe

livemint.com:

Inside Tesla, it was known as “Project 42," and the plans called for a dramatic glass-walled building to rise near the automaker’s headquarters outside this capital city. Internally, the secret project was described as a house for Chief Executive Elon Musk. One concept showed a structure in the shape of a twisted hexagon on waterfront land with Tesla’s factory in the background, according to a document reviewed by The Wall Street Journal.

Other renderings depicted an expansive glass box, reminiscent of Apple’s store on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan, with a residential area that appeared to include bedrooms, bathrooms and a kitchen, said people familiar with the matter. Plans for the project, which Tesla employees were discreetly working on last year, changed over time, said people familiar with the matter. Some images also showed a waterfall feature as part of the landscaping around the building and a futuristic-looking pickup truck, resembling Tesla’s forthcoming Cybertruck, approaching from a distance, one of the people said.

At one point, there was speculation among employees that the project could include a museum. Along the way, the project drew scrutiny from Tesla lawyers and board members, according to people with knowledge of the situation. An order for millions of dollars in specialized glass—the type of large-format panels used on building facades—sparked concern among some employees about what the materials would be used for, some of the people said.