Elon Musk just can’t help himself, can he?
The guy’s built Tesla, SpaceX, and a handful of other game-changing companies, but somehow, he always finds a way to set his own reputation on fire.
This time, it’s over a gesture he made at Trump’s inauguration. One that looked way too much like a Nazi salute. I think we all saw it, I don’t need to show you a picture of what it looked like.
Was it intentional? Who knows.
But the internet sure has an opinion, and let’s be real… this is hardly the first time Musk has stirred up a mess like this.
Well, now it looks like Tesla’s stock is feeling it.
Right now TSLA is sitting at $328.50, down from its recent high of $350.77.
Is it because of the controversy? Hard to say for sure, but let’s be honest—investors hate bad press, and Musk is handing it to them on a silver platter.
Analysts are starting to sound the alarm too, with Stifel’s Stephen Gengaro slashing his Tesla price target from $492 to $474, basically signalling “yeah, this whole PR nightmare isn’t great for business.”
And it’s not just Wall Street raising an eyebrow. Regular people are pissed.
Over in the Netherlands, someone vandalized a Tesla showroom with swastikas, and activist groups are out here slapping ‘Swasticar’ stickers on Tesla vehicles.
Imagine buying a $50,000 car only to wake up and find one of those stuck to it.
In London, protesters are hitting high-traffic areas, making sure no one forgets the controversy anytime soon. Social media is blowing up with pictures and videos, sparking heated debates on whether Tesla can distance itself from Musk’s mess.
It feels like this backlash isn’t going away anytime soon. Elon has turned Tesla into possibly the most radioactive brand of the decade.
Who wants to be seen driving a hate symbol?
And Musk? Classic Musk.
He seems to be brushing it all off as “dirty tricks” and “propaganda.”
But here’s the thing—acting like it’s not a problem doesn’t make it disappear. If anything, it’s making it worse.
Now, entire online communities are cutting ties—over 50 subreddits, covering around 40 million members, have banned links to X in protest.
That’s a huge digital audience saying, “No thanks.”
At some point, something’s got to give. Tesla is an amazing company, but when the CEO keeps making headlines for all the wrong reasons, it’s only a matter of time before investors start wondering if the brand can survive the chaos.
How much drama is too much? Because right now, Musk is making it damn near impossible to separate the man from the machine.
But here’s a thought: Remember in May 2020, when he tweeted, “Tesla stock price is too high imo”?
The stock immediately plunged 10%, wiping out billions in market value. But what happened after?
The dip turned out to be a golden buying opportunity, and in the following months, Tesla soared past its previous highs, cementing its place as one of the most valuable companies in the world.
The question right now, therefore, is…
Is this latest controversy a sign of lasting damage, or just another bump in Tesla’s rollercoaster ride?
