A lot has been said about Tesla owners choosing to sell, return, or give away their cars, largely due to Musk's actions and public persona. In Europe, investors started selling off Tesla shares in December 2024, resulting in a whopping $100 billion going bye-bye. Lastly, the anti-Musk sticker market is looking at a great Q1.

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As CEO of the company, Musk doesn’t look concerned on the outside; he remains the wealthiest man on Earth.

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So how significant is the behavior of a well-known and brilliant inventor and CEO who is often seen as eccentric and mingling into things he should not be mingling in – versus – his products and companies?

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In the car world, historically, the two are seldom related. Henry Ford, for example, was known for his strong racist behavior and antisemitic views, even using his own newspaper to spread these beliefs. Despite his actions, Ford’s cars continued to be popular, and the company remained successful.

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In other industries, we see companies willing to remove CEOs quicker these days when these leaders become bad news. Papa John's founder, CEO and later Chairman John Schnatter nearly killed the business after having multiple racist outbursts. He got fired. Travis Kalanick from UBER eventually did not get away with his long list of sexual harassment escapades. He got fired.

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The fact remains that Tesla is the only American car company to achieve lasting success since Chrysler. By June 2024, Tesla counted over 120,000 employees, while the public sentiment on social media became increasingly negative.

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So the question remains – how much influence does a CEO’s personal affairs and opinions have on a customer's buying power and brand loyalty?

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