Tesla shares plummeted 28% in February, their worst month since a 37% drop in December 2022, as the company faces softening sales, tariffs, and rising anti-Tesla sentiment. CEO Elon Musk’s first full month in the White House has been criticized for his involvement in politics, work, and antics outside of Tesla.
Musk runs several companies, including SpaceX and an artificial intelligence startup xAI, while owning social media company X. He has faced accusations of spreading falsehoods and promoting far-right ideologies. Anti-Musk and anti-Tesla sentiment has erupted across Europe and the US, with some even vandalizing Tesla vehicles.
The recent stock price decline is not just about Tesla’s performance but also about Musk’s politics and work outside of the company. Tesla trails some rivals in China and the US in self-driving technology, with several companies already offering commercial robotaxi services.
Musk recently announced that Tesla should launch unsupervised Full Self-Driving as a paid service in June, but this has raised concerns among investors. Alphabet-owned Waymo is ahead of Tesla in providing driverless trips, with 200,000 per week across San Francisco, Phoenix, and Los Angeles.
The slide on Musk’s social media post over the weekend suggested a “1000% gain for Tesla in 5 years” was possible with “outstanding execution,” but this has been met with skepticism. As the company looks to recover from its worst month since December 2022, it remains to be seen how Musk can regain investor confidence and address anti-Tesla sentiment.
Source: https://www.cnbc.com/2025/03/04/elon-musk-first-month-in-white-house-was-tesla-worst-month-since-2022.html