In A Revealing Interview, Musk Evades Responsibility For Tesla’s Decline – CleanTechnica

Sign up for CleanTechnica’s Weekly Substack for Zach and Scott’s in-depth analyses and high level summaries, sign up for our daily newsletter, and/or follow us on Google News!

---

Last Updated on: 22nd May 2025, 01:18 pm

In a newly released Bloomberg dialogue conducted by Mishal Husain, Musk evades responsibility for Tesla’s downward spiral, which many attribute to consumer dismay over Musk’s meddling in right-wing politics. When asked about Tesla’s “declining sales picture” and anticipated turn around timeframe, he had a quick response.

Musk: “Oh, it’s already turned around.”

Let’s do a deep dive into the most revealing statements that Musk made and analyze them in for accuracy and accountability, shall we?

The Brand Burns While Musk Evades, Avoids, And Out-&-Out Lies

He was born out of the bullying schoolyards of South Africa and landed in the midst of emerging US tech startups. He amassed fortune after fortune by moving past slide rule calculations to data collection and what is now known as AI. He revitalized the floundering all-electric car company, Tesla, and thrust it to the top of global EV sales. Today he is CEO of multiple companies and has bought himself a prominent position within the Trump 2.0 administration.

His status as a “special government employee” (SGE) has a 130-day duration and is expected to end on May 31. In advance of that departure, during the April Tesla earnings call, Musk announced he would limit his time in Washington to one to two days a week, yet he left open the window to stick around and help the US government for “the remainder of the president’s term, just to make sure that the waste and fraud that we stop does not come roaring back.”

Meanwhile, Tesla’s brand image and reputation have soured. This applies not only to consumer purchase intent but also to the feeling that no longer is the brand safe, family-friendly, or trustworthy. A significant portion of the EV consumer and potential consumer base is feeling alienated from the Tesla brand, with negative perceptions growing faster than positive perceptions. Key metrics have fallen into worrisome territory.

Sales figures for Europe in April: 512 new Teslas were registered in the UK in April, down 62% from a year earlier. Denmark, the Netherlands, and Sweden each had even larger year-over-year declines.

Musk: “Europe is our weakest market. We’re strong everywhere else. So now our sales are doing well at this point.”

Competitors rebound, but not Tesla: Tesla sales plunged 13% in the first three months of this year, the largest drop in deliveries in its history. European car sales began to grow in March, surging 24%. Tesla didn’t experience comparable growth; in fact, Tesla new vehicle registrations fell 28% in Europe in March.

Musk: “We don’t anticipate any meaningful sales shortfall.. it’s already turned around… The European market is quite weak.”

Tesla brand identification evaporates: Tesla seems to have lost its appeal as a relevant pioneer — now it’s an isolated anti-woke icon. There have been bumper stickers distancing Tesla owners from CEO Elon Musk and reports of graffiti at Tesla showrooms. In fact, Tesla is the only brand where negative automaker views exceed 15% and distrust exceeds 30% among consumers of any partisan affiliation.

Musk: “And that there are also people who are buying it because Elon’s crazy or however they may view it. So yes, we’ve lost some sales paths on the left, but we’ve gained them on the right. The sales numbers at this point are strong, and we see no problem with demand.”

Tesla stock value takes another hit: Tesla (TSLA) shares fell to open the week as part of a broader market decline that comes after Moody’s Ratings downgraded its view of the US creditworthiness after markets closed on Friday. The all-time high Tesla stock closing price was $479.86 on December 17, 2024.

Musk: “The stock wouldn’t be trading near all-time highs if it was not, if things weren’t in good shape. They’re fine. Don’t worry about it.”

A 5-year plan for Musk as Tesla CEO: It shouldn’t come as a surprise as we look back that Musk was sleeping beside the Model 3 assembly line as a 2018 quarter came to an end. His pay plan was in jeopardy, as well as his company. Musk’s 2024 pay package increased his Tesla ownership by about 6% (from about 21.9% to at most 28.3%) if, and only if, he increased Tesla’s market capitalization from approximately $50 billion to $650 billion, while also hitting the operational milestones tied to Tesla’s top-line (revenue) or bottom-line (adjusted EBITDA) 6 growth.

Musk: “If something incredible is done, that compensation should match that, something incredible was done… Sufficient voting control such that I cannot be ousted by activist investors is what matters to me. And I’ve said this publicly many times, but let’s not have this whole thing be a discussion of my alleged pay. It’s not a money thing.”

Judge rules against Musk’s pay package — twice: On January 30, 2024, Chancellor Kathaleen St. Jude McCormick in Delaware invalidated Musk’s compensation package. In her ruling, she wrote, “Swept up by the rhetoric of ‘all upside,’ or perhaps starry-eyed by Musk’s superstar appeal, the board never asked the $55.8 billion question — Was the plan even necessary for Tesla to retain Musk and achieve its goals?” The ruling was later upheld.

Musk: “But I’m confident that whatever some activist posing as a judge in Delaware happens to do will not affect the future compensation… Not a judge. Not a judge. The activist who is cosplaying a judge in a Halloween costume.”

Letting loose the robots: Musk was part of the Trump coterie who flew to meet with the Saudis last week. The Saudi Press Agency reported that Musk spoke about how humanoid robots represent a productivity revolution that could expand the global economy tenfold. He argued this could lead to an economy of abundance and a model of “comprehensive high income” that goes beyond the traditional universal basic income concept.

Musk: “It’s a reasonable-control thing over the future of the company, especially if we’re building millions, potentially billions of humanoid robots. I can’t be sitting there and wondering about getting tossed out for political reasons by activists. That would be unacceptable. That’s all that matters.”

Taking personal responsibility for Tesla — any regret? With federal jobs frozen, medical research in jeopardy, wholesale data theft, loss of consumer protections, and indiscriminate firings, outcries have come from disparate sectors, each of which is stunned by the audacity with which Musk and his gang of socially inept computer geeks have torn through the fabric of the US federal government. Tesla drivers have expressed concern about how vandalism, insurance hikes, and targeted hostility are reshaping the EV ownership experience — especially for younger generations and those in certain US regions.

Musk: “I did what needed to be done. The violent antibody reaction — I’m not someone who’s ever committed violence. And yet, massive violence was committed against my companies 7. Massive violence was threatened against me. Who are these people? Why would they do that? How wrong can they be? They’re on the wrong side of history, and that’s an evil thing to do, to go and damage some poor, innocent person’s car, to threaten to kill me. What’s wrong with these people? I’ve not harmed anyone, so something needs to be done about them. And a number of them are going to prison, and they deserve it. And more will.”

Legacy media should take blame: Musk’s social media activity on X had dropped over the past three months, according to a Washington Post analysis. Since he purchased the platform in 2022, Musk used it as an idea generator for his views on MAGA politics, government policy, and Donald Trump. Now that he has pulled back from his full-time government role, Musk posts about space travel, electric vehicles, and artificial intelligence. He rarely mentions Trump.

Musk: “It’s certainly fine to object to political things, but it’s not fine to resort to violence … That is in no way justifiable at all in any way, shape or form. And, some of the, legacy media nonetheless have sought to justify it, which is unconscionable. Shame on them.”