Text messages between Elon Musk and Norges Bank Investment Management (NBIM) CEO, Nicolai Tangen, have been shared by NBIM after it decided to release all of the text messages between the pair in the interest of transparency.

Reports from Norweigan newspaper, E24 revealed that while requests to access text messages between Musk and Tangen under the Norwegian Freedom of Information Act had previously been denied, the fund decided to release all the messages following its latest assessment.

"When we initially assessed the request for access to the entire dialogue between the fund's CEO Nicolai Tangen and Tesla's CEO Elon Musk, we first determined that these were not public documents, therefore not subject to the Freedom of Information Act," NBIM head of communications, Line Aaltvedt, told E24.

"At the same time, we were mindful of the importance of the corporate dialogue and the relationship we, as an investor, have with Tesla. As can be seen from the SMS messages, part of the dialogue was related to our voting at Tesla, where we, among other things, voted against Elon Musk's compensation package."

The Norwegian press previously reported that Musk had cancelled a dinner hosted alongside the NBIM's investment conference, to which Tangen had invited him, with Musk suggesting that the dinner would be "very difficult and expensive" for him to attend.

"When I ask you for a favor, which I very rarely do, and you decline, then you should not ask me for one until you've done something above nothing to make amends. Friends are as friends do," Musk wrote to Tangen in messages seen by European Pensions.

"Noted and fully understood. As a large shareholder we cheer for you," Tangen replied. "Good luck with everything".

Musk's response to the media coverage surrounding this exchange was seen in later messages seen by European Pensions, as he wrote to Tangen asking: "Did you send my text messages to the press?", attaching screenshots from an unknown individual that claimed Tangen "has political ambitions" and was using "the oil fund to promote himself."

However, Tangen's response explained that, "unfortunately" everything he sends and receives is public information due to the Norwegian Freedom of Information Act.

"It is our comms and legal department which runs this and it is not my decision," he wrote.

"They have not sent your personal comments, just the part which you said that you were not coming to the conference. The country is obsessed about you, but this is not reflecting badly on you. Still, sorry for the inconvenience.”

NBIM declined to comment further on the messages.

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