Elon Musk Alone Can’t Explain Tesla’s Owner Exodus
The former EV darling is struggling to retain customers. The reasons go beyond its famous co-founder.
The Tesla Model Y (left) and the Audi Q6 Sportback e-tron are among the dozens of electric vehicles on sale in the US today.
Source: Getty Images
Tori Horowitz loved her 2021 Tesla Model S. “It worked for my life because I’m in my car all the time,” says the realtor, who drives weekly from Los Angeles 80 miles north to Ojai, California. “It felt efficient. It was zippy. It was intuitive. It was exactly what I needed.”
But she didn’t love the reputation of Tesla co-founder and Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk, who’s polarized consumers by engaging in public spats with presidents and endorsing an antisemitic post on X, the social media site he owns. In 2024 he was sued for sexual harassment and accused of erratically using ketamine and other drugs. (Musk has denied the accusations of harassment and said that he took ketamine under prescription years ago but not since. He did not respond to a request for additional comment. A representative for Tesla did not respond to multiple requests for comment.)