Tesla Inc (NASDAQ: TSLA) CEO Elon Musk thinks the way research and development (R&D) budget statistics are “bucketed” is strange.

What Happened: The entrepreneur reacted to R&D spend figures shared on Twitter on Sunday by Sawyer Merritt, co-founder of the sustainable clothing brand Twin Birch.

The data indicated that Tesla spent much less than its rivals such as Volkswagen AG (OTC: VWAGY), Ford Motor Company (NYSE: F), and General Motors (NYSE: GM) among others. 

Strange how these things are bucketed. I think of the whole company as being R&D.

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 24, 2022

Musk said, “Strange how these things are bucketed. I think of the whole company as being R&D.”

See Also: How To Buy Tesla (TSLA) Shares

Why It Matters: Tesla spends $2,984 on R&D per car sold, according to data from Statista. 

This figure is exponentially higher than the Ford’s $1,186 or GM’s $878 R&D spend per car sold.

On the other hand, Tesla spends $0 on ad spend per car sold whereas Ford spends $468 and GM $394.

Last week, Musk reacted to Tesla’s operating expenses being compared with Rivian Automotive Inc (NASDAQ: RIVN). He said the expense was “embarrassingly high.”

Price Action: On Friday, Tesla shares closed 0.4% lower at $1,005.05 in the regular session, according to data from Benzinga Pro.

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