Elon Musk has long been regarded as a beacon for turning Tesla into an innovation, a visionary man who pushes the world into an era of electrification. But his political slippery — especially his consistency with activities within President Trump and the federal government — has put Tesla in uncertainty.

For many who may become Tesla buyers, the brand has lost its progressive shine. Although Musk has long been the face of Tesla, the link has changed negatively as billionaires oversee mass layoffs and eliminated federal programs through the Ministry of Efficiency.

Tesla's disappointing first-quarter earnings fell 71% amid weakening sales and anti-Muske sentiment, indicating how much the brand has lost. The company reported 336,681 delivery in the first three months of 2025, down from 495,570 and 386,810 in the fourth quarter of 2024 in the fourth quarter of last year. This is impressive in 2024, with fewer delivery than a year before production delays and EV competition increased.

For many, Musk's political activities turned Tesla into a symbolic pariah. Tesla's trading volume has reached record highs, while sales in Europe have fallen. Foreign leaders have called for boycotts, and since December, automakers' shares have lost half of their value. Protesters have continued to assemble in Tesla showrooms, dealerships and even charging stations to accelerate the devaluation of automakers' brands and hope that they hope, Musk's wealth.

"They have an important public image problem, which is really something we've never seen before," Sean Tucker, chief editor of Kelley Blue Book, told TechCrunch.

Even one of Tesla's most determined bulls, Dan Ives, begged Musk to stop focusing on politics and focus more on his business. "Otherwise, unfortunately, Tesla's dark ages are getting deeper and deeper." Even though Musk said last month he would take a step back from the governor, he didn't give up.

To cope with the possible impact on Tesla, Musk may and will likely continue to rely on his sales, as Tesla is not an automaker, it is an AI company that will one day commercialize self-driving cars and humanoid robots.

The question now is whether the Tesla brand can be restored.

Here are moments when TechCrunch will continue to update, shaping perspectives on the Tesla brand and potentially having a lasting impact on its future.

Sales in Europe decline

Tesla's new car sales fell across Europe, even as sales of electric vehicles made by other brands rose across the continent. Tesla's sales fell 37.2% in Europe during the first four months of 2025, and in Sweden, they fell 81% year-on-year.

Traditionally, Germany, one of Tesla's largest markets and home to one of its Gigafactories, has already been greatly opposed to Musk. A recent survey of 100,000 Germans found that 94% of people would never buy Tesla, and sales data could support it. In March 2025, Tesla's German sales fell by 42.5%. This was a slight increase compared to the 75% sales downturn in February.

succession

The Wall Street Journal reported in May that Tesla's board of directors began looking for a potential successor to Musk sometime in early April as Musk further entered Washington to cut government spending.

When the report came out, Tesla Chairman Robyn Denholm announced that WSJ's report was "absolutely wrong". Either way, the report does raise questions about succession plans, that is, Musk said he would step back from the governor in the first-quarter earnings call, but importantly, he also said he would continue to work for the agency for the rest of Trump's presidency.

Protest is a formal risk

The “Tesla evacuation” protests have been spreading around the world with the goal of encouraging people to stop buying Tesla and selling their Tesla stock, which protesters say will hurt Musk who has most of his power – in his wallet (more about the people below). As of the first quarter of this year, these protests have officially become official risks in Tesla's regulatory documents.

New risk factors in Tesla's latest SEC filing warn that some criticisms "incite protests, some escalate into violence against our actions, products and people." Tesla's lawyers have also expanded the risks faced, saying the negative perceptions arising from the protests and widespread criticism of the company "can damage our brand and business (including sales) and raising additional funds when needed becomes more difficult."

Tariff exposure

While Tesla is the best automaker to parry Trump's auto tariff strike in the United States, the company is still being exposed due to Musk's alliance with the president.

In April, Wedbush analyst Dan Ives lowered Tesla's price target to $315, down from $550, again citing Musk's politics, creating a brand crisis for automakers. He also noted Musk's ties to Trump, so his tariff policy will not only affect sales in the United States and Europe, but also threaten Tesla's popularity in China, "Further Chinese consumers can buy domestic consumers, such as Byd."

Magazine hat on wheels

Although recent research has found that Musk's political inclination has cost him customers from Tesla's base (Democrats), the shift has earned him street credibility with Republicans. A study conducted by researchers at Northeastern University, Columbia University and the University of Iowa found that the likelihood of Republicans buying Tesla rose to 10.2% from 7% before Musk's Trump endorsement.

That view will only increase in Trump's reciprocity recognition of Musk and Tesla, including his free ad at the White House on March 11.

“Waiting for your stock”

On the evening of March 20, Musk told his employees and investors to "stick with (their) stocks" even though it felt like "like the end of the world."

"It's very difficult for people in the stock market, especially those who see in the rearview mirror, which is most people, imagine a future, suddenly, the fleet of ten million vehicles is five to ten times more practical," Musk said, referring to the hardware necessary for all existing Teslas to turn it into a fully autonomous car.

He advises employees to collect noise and focus on building network libraries, which will be a new priority. The CyberCab is a two-seater robot with no steering wheel or pedals. Current federal regulations do not allow mass production of such vehicles because they do not have human control, but Musk said he intends to modify these rules.

He noted that the CyberCab manufacturing process would be a feat of engineering, a "high-speed consumer electronics line" that "it will move so fast that … it will be able to produce cars in less than five seconds."

During the call, Musk also promised to produce about 5,000 Optimus Prime this year, which he believes will be Tesla's most valuable asset.

"Moment of Truth"

Tesla Bull Dan Ives wrote on the same day that Musk's involvement led to "a moment of brand tornado crisis for Musk and Tesla."

"If you agree or disagree with Doge, then Musk's point is that this has basically turned Tesla into a political symbol because President Trump returns to the White House, which is a bad thing for a while (not Tesla CEO) time (not Tesla CEO)."

Molotov cocktails and vandalism

Tesla showrooms, charging stations, facilities, and even private vehicles were attacked. In some cases, damage is minimal - some spray paint and keychains. In other cases, violence has occurred. The dealer suffered a blow from bullets and Molotov cocktails and the charging station caught fire.

Musk's response was to question why anyone wanted to hurt Tesla.

Trump's response was even sharper. He announced that any violence that could include spray paint would be considered domestic terrorism by the federal government.

"I look forward to watching patients' thugs being sentenced to 20 years in prison for their actions against Elon Musk and Tesla. Maybe they can serve them in prisons in El Salvador, which are known for such lovely conditions!" Trump said on his social media platform, Truth Social.

As of this writing, the Justice Department has filed allegations of three people allegedly responsible for violent destruction of Tesla’s property.

Tesla cuts

Peaceful protests broke out across the country as part of Tesla's withdrawal campaign.

Protesters have been appearing in Tesla dealerships and showrooms in an attempt to stop people from buying Tesla cars. They also aim to encourage Tesla owners to trade with vehicles and Tesla shareholders to sell their shares.

Although these protests are peaceful, we are beginning to see the beginning of violent resistance - just like a Florida man driving an SUV outside a Tesla dealership in Palm Beach in March.

Contact the proud boy

On the last weekend of March, thousands of people participated in Tesla's protests. Wired reports that in some areas mainly composed of Maga supporters, the crowd attracted a small amount of counter-protest. These included extreme extremists, including proud boys and members of armed militia.

"Rome" pays tribute

Musk made a tribute from many people who thought it was not one, but two Nazis when he spoke at a rally celebrating Trump's inauguration.

Musk's voice support for the far-right German party AFD and his history of sharing anti-Semitism.

Shortly after the tribute incident, activists projected images of the words musk and the word “heil” onto Tesla’s Berlin Gigafactory.

Byd Breakthrough

One of Tesla's biggest competitors, China's Byd has been touting a major breakthrough in charging. The automaker said this week that it could charge new cars in five minutes, which would give it a huge competitive advantage over Tesla and any other electric car maker.

China is one of Tesla's largest markets, but Byd continues to bully the automakers in its homeland. Byd recently released its "Eye of God" Advanced Driver Assistance System (similar to Tesla's Autopilot and FSD), which will require no installation in its entire EV lineup, including its Seagull hatchback that saves a super $9,600.

Byd continues to impress consumers with its high-tech series of electric and hybrids, and once again surpassed Tesla's revenue. Byd reported $100.7 billion in revenue in 2024, while Tesla's $97.7 billion.

Aging lineup and Sebert-like memories

Tesla has been aging for years. Seberak was the next big bet for the automaker, which would prove that it can still offer innovative new models. Indeed, this truck is very popular among American buyers.

Still, Tesla has been making eight recalls on the car since it launched the vehicle in November 2023. Recently, Tesla had to recall 46,000 Cyberforces due to an exterior steel trim on the side of the windshield, which looked like it was in trouble with Superguue and could fall off.