Elon Musk's return to Tesla was meant to give the company a boost after a tough start to 2025. However, investors and employees are reportedly worried that it could do the opposite.
During Tesla's first-quarter earnings call, Musk — the world's richest person and Tesla CEO — announced he would spend more time at the electric-vehicle pioneer, after spending the previous few months leading the Trump administration's Department of Government Efficiency.
On the surface, that seemed like promising news for the electric-vehicle pioneer, which saw its sales and revenue numbers both tumble during that quarter. But, as Futurism reports, Musk's return has actually caused more apprehension, with many people concerned about his mindset.
During an April visit to a Tesla office in Palo Alto, California, Musk reportedly asked what impact Trump's tariffs would have on production. The only problem is, the question came months after Trump had announced the tariffs, which reportedly raised several eyebrows.
Others allegedly fear that Musk is pinning too much of the company's hopes on its upcoming self-driving robotaxi program, including the two-passenger, fully autonomous Cybercab.
"The future of the company is fundamentally based on large-scale autonomous cars and large-scale, large volume, vast numbers of autonomous humanoid robots," Musk said during the company's first-quarter results call.
But even those projects face significant roadblocks. The robotaxi project, which was expected to kick off in early June in Austin, Texas, has already been delayed by at least 10 days, according to My San Antonio.
Federal officials have also questioned its rollout. And there is existing competition, primarily in the form of Waymo, which already operates in Austin, Phoenix, San Francisco, and Los Angeles.
Even as Tesla sales have slumped, overall electric vehicle sales continue to surge, as more people make the switch to a cleaner form of transportation, without the high costs associated with frequent gas tank fill-ups.
Those savings can increase when you charge your EV with solar panels, as it is much cheaper than using public charging stations or energy from the grid. EnergySage's free service allows homeowners to compare quotes from vetted, local solar installers, saving up to $10,000 in the process. And, if buying solar panels isn't in your budget right now, Palmetto's Lightreach solar-leasing program can put solar panels on your roof with no money down, while still offering locked-in, low monthly rates.
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