--- title: "You Can Suddenly Sense Elon Musk’s Desperation" description: "After eviscerating Tesla's brand through his political mayhem, billionaire Elon Musk is suddenly singing a dramatically different tune." date: "2025-05-28" modified: "2025-05-28" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/sense-elon-musk-desperation" categories: - "Elon Musk" - "Future Society" - "The Industrialists" tags: - "elon musk" - "SpaceX" - "Starship" - "tesla" --- # You Can Suddenly Sense Elon Musk’s Desperation ![After eviscerating Tesla's brand through his political mayhem, billionaire Elon Musk is suddenly singing a dramatically different tune.]() *\Image: BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images/Futurism\* After eviscerating Tesla's brand through his political mayhem, billionaire Elon Musk is suddenly singing a dramatically different tune. This month, he abruptly proclaimed that he had "[done enough]()," announcing that he would substantially cut down the time he spent reshaping the federal government, efforts that have left permanent scars on Tesla's credibility and image. Instead, he promised that he would refocus the majority of his time on his ailing businesses, news that was met with his EV maker's shares rallying after a precipitous decline in sales and stock value during his period of intense political activity. Meanwhile, Musk spent much of this week publicly addressing the development of SpaceX's Starship. He [chatted]() with automotive engineer Sandy Munro, ran Tim "Everyday Astronaut" Dodd [through the company's progress](), and was seemingly on his best behavior during an [interview]() with *Ars Technica*'s Eric Berger. It's a dramatic change of tune, considering Musk had spent much of this year raging against the mainstream media, [spreading racist conspiracy theories](), [wearing ridiculous hats]() during cabinet meetings, and [lashing out against his many critics](). What inspired Musk to — at least temporarily — return to the character of the detail-oriented businessman? It's especially striking after he hit a new low last week, making a [bafflingly childish]() appearance at *Bloomberg*'s Qatar Economic Forum, accusing the interviewer of being an "NPC" and getting rattled by some tough questions. His reputation and popularity [have taken a major hit]() following his descent into far-right extremism and largely fruitless ripping up of government contracts. Even Republican lawmakers in the White House [have reportedly had enough]() of his overzealousness and cringy humor, resulting in shouting matches with Trump officials. Now that he's dragged his EV maker's brand through the mud and spawned a global anti-Tesla movement, Musk is seemingly trying to play Mr. Nice Guy once again. There's good reason. Musk has made himself a historically unpopular figure over the last couple of months, greatly undermining his credibility as an entrepreneur and exposing an alarming degree of callousness and [lack of empathy](). And as SpaceX continues to struggle getting its enormous Starship both off the ground and safely back to the launch pad, Musk's latest actions give off a sense of desperation. "Give me the rundown," Dodd asked Musk [during a Tuesday afternoon interview](). "Right now, we're T-minus four and a half hours. What's going through your head right now?" A visibly stressed Musk pulled both of his hands through his hair, giving off the impression of a man in dire straits. "I have a lot going through my head, actually," he finally answered. "Just thinking about the various ways the rocket can fail, which I'm sure are many." Tuesday's test flight, the company's ninth, turned out to be yet another setback. The rocket spun out of control minutes into the launch, with SpaceX giving up on the deployment of a test batch of mock Starlink satellites since the cargo pay wouldn't fully open. Perhaps it was a symbolic development for Musk's reinvigorated enthusiasm for his ailing businesses. After all, the billionaire has gouged some deep scars that aren't going to heal overnight. **More on Musk:** *[Self-Driving Tesla Suddenly Swerves Off the Road and Crashes]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()