By Mary Jones & Don Terry | Tuesday, April 22, 2025 | 3 min read
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Elon Musk is learning the hard way that you can’t run a car company like a meme page — or a federal agency like a startup frat house. As Tesla’s stock nosedives and his brief experiment as a D.C. power player turns into a slow-motion collapse, the myth of Musk is unraveling in real time.
On Monday, Tesla shares took another hit, plunging 5.8% — the latest drop in a brutal 44% slide since January. The company is now out of the top 10 most valuable U.S. firms, a humiliating fall for the man who once bragged about “disrupting everything.”
But here’s the thing: this isn’t just a story about missed EV sales targets or competition from Chinese automakers. It’s about a billionaire who mistook political influence for personal branding — and is now paying for it.
Musk the Liability
“Tesla’s brand used to be about the future,” said Rebecca Cho, an analyst at Bernstein Research. “Now it’s about a guy beefing with bureaucrats and live-tweeting conspiracy theories from inside the federal government.”
In short: Musk has become the main problem with Tesla.
His political cosplay — as head of Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE (yes, really) — has turned into an open wound for the company. What was pitched as a Silicon Valley-style revolution in government has become a lesson in how not to run anything.
DOGE: Department of Glorified Egos
Inside the DOGE agency, staffers describe a chaotic, meme-fueled wasteland where promises go to die. The cost-cutting magic Musk was supposed to deliver? Never materialized. Instead, the agency hemorrhages talent and burns through goodwill like one of Musk’s flamethrowers.
One senior administration official didn’t mince words: “What started as a novelty act is now a national embarrassment.”
Reports of dysfunction read like satire:
- Entire departments quitting mid-project
- Policy directives issued via emoji-laced Slack threads
- Interns reportedly given more direction than senior advisors
It’s government by Reddit post. And Washington is over it.
A Diminished Kingmaker
Musk’s political capital is also circling the drain. He tried — and failed — to influence the Wisconsin Supreme Court race. His handpicked choice for IRS commissioner was booted within 48 hours. And when he came out swinging against Trump’s tariffs, he was met with the sound of crickets.
His so-called “five accomplishments” memos — once heralded by Trump loyalists as visionary — are now being quietly trashed by agency heads who no longer see the point in humoring him.
Behind closed doors, officials reportedly joke that Musk’s memos are “five paragraphs of vibes and delusion.”
The Financial Reckoning
With Tesla’s earnings report landing Tuesday, Wall Street is bracing for more bad news: an estimated 18% drop in profits and a stark slowdown in revenue growth. If the numbers are as ugly as expected, investors may start demanding something Musk hasn’t faced in a long time — accountability.
“He’s distracted. Tesla’s suffering. And this political stunt of his? It’s not helping anyone,” said one investor who asked to remain anonymous. “You don’t need to be a genius to see the writing on the wall.”
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt was asked whether Musk’s position in the administration was secure. Her response? Cryptic at best: “All cabinet-level appointments remain at the president’s discretion.”
Translation: Don’t count on job security when your boss is Trump and your agency is a punchline.
As for Musk? He’s been uncharacteristically quiet — no tweets, no livestreams, no cryptic one-liners. Just the sound of Tesla’s stock continuing its slow descent… and the dawning realization that maybe, just maybe, he flew too close to the swamp.
Copyright 2025 FN, NewsRoom.
