Tesla’s stock fell close to 8% on Monday amid mounting investor worries over CEO Elon Musk’s new political venture, the so-called ‘America Party,’ which raises doubts about his focus on the company’s future. The announcement came shortly after a public clash with former President Donald Trump, who dismissed Musk’s political move as “ridiculous” and threatened to cut subsidies worth billions to Musk’s companies, escalating a feud that previously erased $150 billion from Tesla’s market value in a single day.
Tesla’s shares have already dropped 35% since their record high last December, making it the worst-performing stock among the high-profile “Magnificent Seven” tech firms this year. The company also reported its second consecutive quarterly decline in vehicle deliveries, intensifying pressure on its stock.
Investors voiced frustration over Musk’s political distractions. Shawn Campbell, adviser at Camelthorn Investments, said, “I and every other Tesla investor would prefer to be out of the business of politics. The sooner this distraction can be removed and Tesla gets back to actual business, the better.”
Tesla now faces a challenging sales target, needing to deliver over one million vehicles in the second half of the year to avoid another annual sales decline amid ongoing tariff-related economic uncertainty and fallout from Musk’s political involvement. Should losses persist, Tesla could see its market valuation shrink by over $80 billion, while short sellers stood to gain about $1.4 billion on Monday alone.
Tesla Board Under Scrutiny
Musk’s political ambitions have also put Tesla’s board of directors under the spotlight. Despite rumors of potential leadership changes, board chair Robyn Denholm denied any plans to replace Musk. However, some investors, such as Azoria Partners, have expressed concern. Azoria delayed launching a Tesla ETF, with CEO James Fishback stating the board must assess whether Musk’s political role is compatible with his CEO responsibilities.
Tesla’s board has faced criticism for lacking firm oversight of Musk, who manages five other companies alongside Tesla and now a political party. Ann Lipton, a business law professor, argued, “This is exactly the kind of thing a board of directors would curtail — removing the CEO if he refused to curtail these kinds of activities.”
Despite Musk’s dominant shareholder status, the board has the authority to replace him without a shareholder vote, though such a move remains unlikely given their historical support. Lipton added, “The Tesla board has been fairly supine; they have not… taken any action to force Musk to limit his outside ventures, and it’s difficult to imagine they would begin now.”
Impact on Broader EV Market
Tesla’s stock movements heavily influence the entire electric vehicle (EV) sector. Shares of smaller EV makers Rivian and Lucid also fell around 3.5%. Analyst Craig Irwin of Roth MKM said, “Tesla is the umbrella stock for the EV space. Generally, EV stocks price up into the Tesla valuation.”
The impending expiration of the EV tax credit subsidy at the end of September (earlier than previously expected) is also expected to dampen near-term EV sales, affecting all automakers in the segment, noted Morningstar analyst Seth Goldstein.
