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Elon Musk teases Tesla announcement

Posted at 3:05 PM, Feb 28, 2019
and last updated 2019-02-28 15:05:38-05

Elon Musk is teasing a Tesla announcement on Twitter, as regulators continue to scrutinize his use of the social media platform.

He said the news will come Thursday at 2 pm PT (5 pm ET).

Musk caused a stir on Wednesday when he posted a cryptic message about the impending news, and Tesla's stock initially jumped about 5%. The company's shares were relatively flat ahead of the planned announcement on Thursday.

It's not clear whether Musk will announce something newsworthy. Musk made a couple of changes to his Twitter bio, which could be clues about the announcement: He changed his Twitter name to "Elon Tusk" and added an elephant emoji. He also changed his photo to a picture of Mars with the word "Revive" on it.

Some suggest the Tesla news may involve the company's upcoming Model Y SUV, updates to its autonomous driving software, or news about its network of Tesla Supercharger stations.

It's not clear whether Tesla reviewed Musk's latest tweets about the announcement. A spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment Thursday.

Musk is in hot water with the SEC about his tweeting habits.

Regulators on Monday had asked a federal judge to hold Musk in contempt for violating a settlement deal reached last year that involved criticism of Musk's Twitter use. Musk and Tesla settled their dispute with the SEC in October. They agreed to pay $40 million in fines and to start policing Musk's social media posts after he caused a stock surge with a tweet that regulators said over-hyped Tesla's value.

But Musk drew regulators' ire again with a February 19 tweet that overstated how many cars Tesla plans to deliver in 2019. The SEC claims Musk did not receive pre-approval for that tweet.

If the judge sides with the SEC, it could expose Musk to serious new consequences.

Musk has lashed out at the SEC, which he called "embarrassing" in a tweet earlier this week. He has also previously referred to the agency as the " Shortseller Enrichment Commission ."