Musk’s Unpopularity Makes His Robotaxi Plan Even Harder
Tesla investors are right to be concerned because the CEO’s strategy hinges on the very people he’s turning off.
What good are they if no one wants to ride in them?
Photographer: Jonas Roosens/AFP/Getty Images
President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that he would buy a new Tesla “as a show of confidence” in the company a day after its shares fell more than 15%, the worst single-session loss since September 2020 — a selloff prompted in part by the negative sentiment toward Elon Musk and his cost-slashing agenda at the Department of Government Efficiency. A fine gesture indeed from the president who, by law, is not allowed to drive on public roads ever again.
That said, the Former Presidents Act of 1958 did not consider we might one day have self-driving cars. Maybe Trump hopes his Tesla will take the wheel.