--- title: "The Reason Tesla Is Failing Is That Elon Musk Is an Extremely Unlikeable Person" description: "Tesla has been losing money hand over fist — and the culprit, Elon Musk, needs to take a long, hard look in the mirror." date: "2025-07-16" modified: "2025-07-16" authors: - name: "Noor Al-Sibai" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/nooralsibai" url: "https://futurism.com/tesla-problem-elon-musk-image" categories: - "Advanced Transport" - "Elon Musk" - "Future Society" - "Tesla" - "The Industrialists" tags: - "elon musk" - "finance" - "robotaxi" - "tesla" --- # The Reason Tesla Is Failing Is That Elon Musk Is an Extremely Unlikeable Person ![Tesla has been losing money hand over fist — and the culprit, Elon Musk, needs to take a long, hard look in the mirror.]() *\Image: Scott Olson / Getty / Futurism\* Tesla has been losing money hand over fist — and the culprit is clear: Elon Musk, the company's CEO, needs to take a [long, hard look in the mirror](). In the wake of his [latest Robotaxi gambits](), which involve a [dick-shaped service area map]() and a fare price rise from $4.20 to $6.90, it becomes clearer every day that the 54-year-old billionaire is a deeply unserious individual whose attempts at humor only drive home how annoying he is. Obviously, this is neither the first nor the last time Musk's massive dearth of likability has been pointed out. Considering all the *other* self-inflicted wounds he's sustained lately, it's impossible to ignore how inextricably his irritating public persona is linked to Tesla's nosediving sales — which have gotten so bad that a wave of its executives have [either ]()[jumped ship or been fired](). Though he was no saint prior to reigniting his [on-off bromance with Donald Trump]() last year on the presidential campaign trail, the multi-hyphenate business owner's toxic politicking since then has hemorrhaged a staggering amount of goodwill he gleaned back when [he was an environmentalist]() who wanted to [save humanity by taking us to Mars](). (In 2016, [public polling showed]() that Musk's net popularity stood at a balmy +29 percent; now the figure [stands at negative 23]().) Nowhere is that Trump slump more evident than in [Tesla's stock value](), which is down a full 20 percent from the beginning of 2025. As the electric vehicle company's value has plummeted, its CEO was busy showing his derriere in as many ways as possible: by doing [two Sieg Heil salutes]() on stage at the inauguration, establishing his stupidly-named [Department of Governmental Efficiency]() (DOGE) wrecker agency, and generally being a [bigoted jerk]() on X, the social network he has transformed into a [far-right haven]() under his ownership. And of course, the addendum to all that political self-sabotage might be the most incredible detail yet: Musk inevitably [flamed out with Trump]() in spectacular style, meaning he now holds none of the influence that could help his business interests — and has managed to alienate huge swathes of potential buyers on both the right *and* the left. Aside from all that, Musk also seems to have been [asleep behind the wheel of Tesla](). The EV company has suffered tremendously under the billionaire's leadership over the past 18 months as he oversaw the [disastrous launch]() of the ugly and [crappily-made Cybertruck](), became the [repeated subject]() of [government investigation]() over its incorrectly-named "[Full Self-Driving]()" feature, and unleashed its [uber-glitchy Robotaxi service]() onto the unsuspecting streets of Austin. When a regular person makes jokes about dicks and weed, it's generally cringe in an innocuous way. When the world's richest man does it — especially while [hamstringing the federal government](), being [virulently bigoted](), providing a [safe space for literal Nazis](), and operating "[assisted driving]()" features that keep [maiming and killing people]() — it's not at all cute. And the markets, obviously, have responded in kind. **More on Tesla:** [*A Clear Sign Just Emerged That Tesla Is Panicking*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've often been drawn to unpacking the narratives that underlie technological, scientific and medical progress, with a special interest in areas of conflict and ambiguity that end up setting agendas and steering the fates of both elites and the hoi polloi. I'm a committed generalist, but I often find myself returning to work involving NASA and the private space sector, the effects of AI on media and society, and the mechanics of the pharmaceutical industry, with a specific focus on the spread of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. Prior to Futurism, I worked for publications ranging from Media Matters and Truthdig to Raw Story and Bustle. I'm also the author of "Myspace Scene Queens," a 2024 title in Instar Books' acclaimed "Remember the Internet" series. My work at Futurism has been cited by outlets including the New Yorker, Slate, Nieman Lab, the Verge, the MIT Technology Review, the Sunday Times, and the Daily Beast. I grew up in North Carolina, attended the University of North Carolina at Asheville, and now live in Brooklyn, New York. In my free time, I'm an avid reader and music fan; you can probably find me at a local poetry reading, concert, underground rave, or DJ set. I'm the proud parent of an ineffable orange cat named Mee-Mow. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()