When Elon Musk set up Tesla’s factory in China, he made a bet that brought him cheap parts and capable workers — a bet that made him ultrarich and saved his company.

Mara Hvistendahl, an investigative reporter for The Times, explains why, now, that lifeline may have given China the tools to beat Tesla at its own game. 

Guest: Mara Hvistendahl (https://nytimes.com/by/mara-hvistendahl?smid=pc-thedaily) , an investigative reporter for The New York Times.

Background reading: 

• A pivot to China saved Elon Musk. It also bound him to Beijing (https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/27/world/asia/elon-musk-tesla-china.html?smid=pc-thedaily) .
• Mr. Musk helped create the Chinese electric vehicle industry. But he is now facing challenges there (https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/27/world/asia/musk-china-tesla-explained.html?smid=pc-thedaily) as well as scrutiny in the West over his reliance on China.

For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily (http://nytimes.com/thedaily?smid=pc-thedaily) . Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.