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Elon Musk tapped to join board of Endeavor Group, owner of UFC and Miss Universe contest

Musk is allowed to serve as a director for a public company despite an incident that caused him to step down as Tesla’s chairman in 2018.
Image: Elon Musk, billionaire and chief executive officer of Tesla Motors Inc., arrives for a news conference in Berlin.
Musk, the CEO of Tesla and founder of SpaceX, The Boring Company and Neuralink, has been nominated to join the board at Endeavor Group Holdings.Krisztian Bocsi / Bloomberg via Getty Images file
/ Source: CNBC.com

Elon Musk is about to increase his already hefty workload.

Musk, the CEO of Tesla and founder of SpaceX, The Boring Company and Neuralink, has been nominated to join the board at Endeavor Group Holdings, according to a filing by the company on Wednesday.

Endeavor began as a talent agency started by one of Hollywood’s most recognizable agents, Ari Emanuel. Through a series of mergers and acquisitions, the company has become a media and entertainment conglomerate that owns and manages live events including UFC, the Miami Open, New York Fashion Week, Frieze art fairs and the Miss Universe beauty pageant.

Now, Endeavor is planning to go public and wants Musk, currently the world’s second-richest person, as one of its 11 directors.

Mr. Musk was selected to serve on our board of directors because of his professional background and experience running a public company, his previously held senior executive-level positions, his service on other public company boards and his experience starting, growing and integrating businesses,” Endeavor said in its IPO filing.

Musk, who still has to be elected to the board, is allowed to serve as a director for a public company despite a settlement with the Securities and Exchange Commission that caused him to step down as Tesla’s chairman and pay a fine in 2018. That punishment stemmed from a Musk tweet that said he was considering taking Tesla private.

The Emanuel family has a history of working with Musk. Ari Emanuel was an early proponent of Tesla, putting down a reservation for the company’s first production vehicle, the original Roadster. His siblings include Chicago’s 55th mayor, Rahm Emanuel, whose administration gave a big contract to The Boring Company in 2018.

Musk has also been a popular guest on comedian Joe Rogan’s podcast, “The Joe Rogan Experience,” appearing as recently as February. Rogan is a UFC fan and has worked for the organization as a broadcaster. Rogan is also represented by Endeavor.

Endeavor filed for an IPO two years ago but scrapped its plans due to weak investor demand. The company generated sales of $3.48 billion and posted a net loss of $625.3 million last year. Revenue was more than $1 billion lower than in 2019 due to pandemic shutdowns.