A Tesla investor said the SEC had asked him questions about "secure financing" of the tweet

LONDON (Reuters) – Tesla Inc. (TSLA.OThe biggest institutional investor said on Wednesday that he had been questioned by US regulators about Elon Musk's now-abandoned plans to take over the private automaker and that the general manager needed help to run the company.

"He needs help and I say it psychologically as much as possible," said James Anderson, wealth manager at Scottish Mortgage Investment Trust, which owns Tesla shares.

Anderson told Reuters that he had spoken with Musk about the idea of ​​hiring another officer. Analysts have asked Tesla to add a CEO or other new leaders to management.

Tesla, whose shares rose 3.1% in the afternoon, after rising 4.5% earlier, was not immediately able to comment. SEC officials could not be immediately affected.

The past few months have been tumultuous and chaotic for Tesla and his eclectic CEO. As Tesla struggled to increase production of his Model 3 electric sedan on Aug. 7, Musk tweeted that he was considering privatizing the company at $ 420 per share and that this funding was "guaranteed."

In the evening of August 24, Friday, Musk, faced with a scrutiny of the financial accuracy of his tweet of funding by the US Securities and Exchange Commission, said that Tesla would remain public, citing investor resistance.

According to Mr. Anderson, Musk "arrived" with the idea of ​​accepting more help to run the company.

Anderson said he had suggested to Musk that his tweets were "not a big thing" and added that the company had discussed with the SEC about Musk's proposal and funding requests.

"I do not know what they're going to do with him, but that does not mean we've done anything wrong," Anderson said in an interview at the firm's London office. "I quite naturally think that they wanted to know if the main shareholders had an indication or knowledge of the tweet about the" secured financing "".

The two largest institutional shareholders of Tesla, T. Rowe Price Group (TROU.O) and Fidelity Investments, both declined to comment on whether they spoke with the SEC about Tesla.

Anderson said he spoke to Musk twice and arranged to speak with the company's board of directors.

Anderson added that the media coverage around the private comments did not shake his confidence in Tesla or his "extraordinary" CEO.

"We think there is a good chance they will prove to be an extremely profitable and competitive business that will produce high returns," said Anderson.

Musk said Tesla should become profitable in the second half.

Mr. Tesla may need to raise more capital and have a better idea of ​​his needs in the coming months, said Mr. Anderson, adding that he would support such an initiative.