read it again
** July 31, 2018 - In the first meeting in months, lasting 30-45 minutes, the fund’s lead representative told Musk that the fund had recently bought almost five percent of Tesla’s stock, expressed interest in taking Tesla private and confirmed that he was empowered to make investment decisions for the fund.
** August 2 - After the U.S. market closed, Musk sent an email with the subject, “Offer to Take Tesla Private at $420,” to Tesla’s board, chief financial officer, and general counsel.
** Aug. 6 - Musk discussed a potential going-private transaction with a private-equity fund partner with previous experience in such deals. He told the partner that the number of Tesla shareholders needed to execute the transaction would be below 300. At the time, Tesla had over 800 institutional shareholders and many more individual investors, the SEC noted, adding that according to the partner, the transaction structure that Musk was contemplating was “unprecedented.”
** Aug. 7 - Musk tweeted at about 1248 ET, during market hours: “Am considering taking Tesla private at $420. Funding secured.”
As stated prior, I see it as bad judgment. It's clear from his actions he believed the deal was happening which would indicate he was not manipulating. Prospective mergers and deals are announced all the time that push the share price of companies soaring. If the prospective deal is legitimate it is not manipulation.
by turning something started out as a joke like the doge coin (1/1000th of a cent), and could be turned into serious money. Dogecoin sent the Jamaican bobsled team to the 2014 Winter Olympics. (the idea is kinda funny (bobsled team from a tropical country).