Rd Opened Or A Ceo

Musk has complained both in public and private that despite owning roughly 13% of the company, he has been working without pay for the last seven years.

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Some employees said they were happy at first that Musk was busy in D.C. because his tendency to micromanage at Tesla could be a distraction.

As Musk drew closer to Trump, who has criticized EV mandates and vowed to reinvigorate the oil and gas industries, some employees sought assurances from management that Musk still supported Tesla's mission to fight climate change and support sustainable-energy infrastructure.

Late last November, Tesla executive Mike Snyder tried to reassure his team that Musk's political tilt wouldn't distract him from the business. "It's obviously been a turbulent and emotional season, I acknowledge that," he said, according to a recording of the meeting reviewed by The Wall Street Journal. "I'd rather have Elon next to Trump than an enemy of Trump."

Snyder, whose team works on energy storage and solar power, told his team that Musk continued to answer texts. "People concerned that Elon is not engaged or interested, I can assure you that's not true," he said.

By early this year, it was clear to some inside the company that Musk's political foray was becoming a business liability. Tesla was losing brand appeal in markets such as California and Germany, and drivers had begun putting bumper stickers on their Teslas distancing themselves from Musk's politics. Tesla also was losing ground in China to homegrown rivals such as BYD.