However, the biggest battery maker in the world, Contemporary Amperex Technology Limited, better known as CATL, believes that going down the cylindrical cell route is a dead end. CATL’s founder and head honcho, Robin Zeng, told Tesla CEO Elon Musk this to his face. The reaction was silence.

Musk’s relationship with Trump has fueled expectations that he could soften U.S. policy toward Beijing, but experts caution against putting too much stock into the Tesla CEO.