--- title: "Tesla Is Extremely Upset About Reporting That Its Board Has Been Looking Into Replacing Elon Musk" description: "The Wall Street Journal reported that Tesla board members have been looking into replacing CEO Elon Musk. Tesla denied the news vehemently." date: "2025-05-01" modified: "2025-05-01" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/teslas-board-replace-elon-musk-denied" categories: - "Advanced Transport" - "Elon Musk" - "Future Society" - "Tesla" - "The Industrialists" tags: - "donald trump" - "elon musk" - "evs" - "tesla" --- # Tesla Is Extremely Upset About Reporting That Its Board Has Been Looking Into Replacing Elon Musk ![The Wall Street Journal reported that Tesla board members have been looking into replacing CEO Elon Musk. Tesla denied the news vehemently.]() *\Image: Andrew Harnik/Getty Images/Futurism\* On Wednesday evening, the [*Wall Street Journal* reported]() that members of Tesla's board have been actively looking into a replacement for CEO Elon Musk, who's set the company's brand on fire with his extremist views and plundering of the federal government. With sales numbers falling from the sky and revenues tanking, board members reportedly reached out to executive search firms to nail down a replacement for the mercurial entrepreneur. The optics of the reporting appear to have infuriated the company's eight-member board, which has long been made up of some of Musk's closest allies and "[sycophants]()," including his own brother, Kimbal Musk. "Earlier today, there was a media report erroneously claiming that the Tesla Board had contacted recruitment firms to initiate a CEO search at the company," an incensed board chair, Robyn Denholm, wrote in an excorciating [statement on X-formerly-Twitter](). "This is absolutely false (and this was communicated to the media before the report was published)." The *WSJ*, however, has denied receiving any form of statement from Tesla before publishing. "The CEO of Tesla is Elon Musk and the Board is highly confident in his ability to continue executing on the exciting growth plan ahead," Denholm added. It wasn't just the company's chair who was rattled by the reporting. Musk himself took to his social media network to blow off some steam. "It is an EXTREMELY BAD BREACH OF ETHICS that the \[*WSJ*\] would publish a DELIBERATELY FALSE ARTICLE and fail to include an unequivocal denial beforehand by the Tesla board of directors," Musk [fumed on X](). But it doesn't take much reading between the lines to realize that being associated with Musk could ultimately be incredibly damaging to the company's brand. His extremely divisive actions have spawned an entire protest movement, scaring away potential customers in droves, as demonstrated in plummeting sales numbers across the world. Many investors [have been furious with him](), accusing him of abandoning the carmaker and politicizing Tesla's name. Several of them [have called for Musk to resign](). Given Denholm and Musk's latest reactions, it's clear there's a lot of tension brewing at Tesla behind the scenes, regardless of the credibility of the *WSJ*'s reporting. Even the company's board, which has historically been immensely loyal to Musk, could be starting to realize just how toxic Musk has become as a company leader. Reversing the damage Musk has inflicted could soon become even more difficult, even with clear favoritism in Washington, DC, providing Tesla with [carefully carved out tariff exemptions]() and [perfectly timed announcements]() by president Donald Trump. For one, Tesla's [financials are in shambles](), and many investors [remain highly skeptical]() of the company's plans to pivot to robotics and AI. And with TV news networks airing footage of mass protests and Tesla [vehicles being set on fire](), it's becoming nearly impossible to paint Musk's absentee father-esque leadership style in a positive light. There's also the question of whether the board is putting their money where their mouths are: as [*The Verge* points out](), Denhom [herself sold $32 million worth of Tesla shares]() this week, in her third sale in three months. **More on Tesla:** *[Trump's New Tariff Rule Is Wildly Convenient for Tesla]()* ## 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]()