Elon Musk’s involvement with the cost-cutting White House DOGE Office has been hailed as one of the greatest brand destructions in history by marketing professor Scott Galloway. The backlash against Musk largely targeted Tesla, which has seen a significant drop in profit and sales.
Galloway attributes Tesla’s issues to Musk alienating its core customer base with his shift towards politics over the past year. The Tesla CEO spent millions backing Trump’s presidential campaign and became a public face of DOGE. This move sparked both admiration from Trump supporters and backlash, mainly targeting Tesla.
Tesla reported a 71% drop in earnings per share in April and has faced protests at its dealerships and showrooms. Galloway believes Musk has alienated the wrong people, including three-quarters of Republicans who are unlikely to buy electric vehicles.
Musk plans to step back from his work with DOGE and refocus on Tesla and other companies that made him a household name. However, he has maintained that he will continue to prioritize his responsibilities as CEO.
Source: https://www.businessinsider.com/elon-musk-tesla-doge-brand-scott-galloway-2025-5