Musk’s political ambitions cost Tesla more than 1 million cars sold
29 October 06:53
The National Bureau of Economic Research at Yale University (USA) has released data showing that Elon Musk’s interference in politics and the acquisition of Twitter (now X) have negatively affected Tesla’s sales. This was reported by "Komersant Ukrainian" with reference to CNN.
Analysts have modeled what the brand’s electric car sales would have been if Musk had not acquired Twitter in 2022, after which he began his active intervention in the political and social life of the United States and other countries.
It turned out that between October 2022 and April 2025, Tesla’s sales could have been 67-83% higher. This means that the manufacturer did not sell between 1 million and 1.26 million cars that could have been purchased by new owners if Musk had remained politically neutral.
The main reason is the portrait of the average Tesla buyer. This is an environmentally conscious Democratic Party supporter, the exact opposite of the right-wing Republicans with whom Musk worked in Donald Trump’s government.
Is the situation changing now?
Tesla has begun to shift its focus from Musk’s personality to technology:
- Robotaxi
- Autopilot
- Humanoid robots
Tesla CEO Robin Denholm said that the public perception of Musk as a politician is “gradually diminishing,” but researchers warn that the reputational damage has already been done and may take years to neutralize.
