EV purchasers, to their credit, not enthusiastic about the Nazi stuff.
Another data point about climate deniers?
According to a new working paper, Musk’s “polarizing and partisan actions” have directly cost Tesla over a million vehicle sales in the US alone.
The study, titled “The Musk Partisan Effect on Tesla Sales,” argues that without this effect, Tesla’s sales would have been 67% to 83% higher between October 2022 and April 2025. That’s an absolutely massive number, and it suggests Tesla’s recent sales slump isn’t just about “increased competition” or “pent-up demand” being satisfied.
It’s about the brand.
The researchers from Yale and NBER didn’t just run a poll. They dug into county-level, monthly new vehicle registration data for all EVs and hybrids from March 2020 to April 2025.
They used a “difference-in-differences” analysis. In simple terms, they tracked how sales trends changed in heavily Democratic-leaning counties versus heavily Republican-leaning counties. The “treatment” event that broke the trend? Elon Musk’s acquisition of Twitter in October 2022.
Here’s what the data shows:
- Before Oct. 2022: Counties with more Democrats showed an increasing preference for Teslas compared to Republican counties. This makes sense, as we know EV adoption has historically been higher among liberal-leaning buyers.
- After Oct. 2022: The trend dramatically reverses. As Musk’s political activities—including “relaxed content moderating of far-right and extremist voices” and massive campaign contributions—ramped up, Democratic-leaning counties began “shifting away from Tesla purchases”.
The study is blunt, noting Musk’s actions “antagonized his most loyal customer base”.
Meanwhile, Musk is asking for a new pay package that might make him the world’s first Trillionaire.
Once again, Tesla (TSLA) chair Robyn Denholm pleaded with shareholders to approve CEO Elon Musk’s unprecedented compensation package, one that could cost the company $1 trillion, with the threat of Musk leaving the company.
In a letter sent to shareholders Monday morning, which follows a prior letter sent last week, Denholm warned the company stands to lose Musk’s leadership if shareholders do not approve the plan. The proposed package — revealed in early September—would grant Musk 12 massive tranches of stock options tied to targets the board argues are aggressive.
“If we fail to foster an environment that motivates Elon to achieve great things through an equitable pay-for-performance plan, we run the risk that he gives up his executive position, and Tesla may lose his time, talent and vision, which have been essential to delivering extraordinary shareholder returns,” Denholm wrote.
Denholm claimed Tesla could “lose significant value” if Musk left, as his leadership is needed to shepherd the company through its automotive, robotics, energy storage, and autonomous driving businesses.
Shares rose over 4% on Monday amid a broad market uptick.
Tesla’s problem is that there’s a large gap between Republican and Democrat buying preferences. Democrats lean heavily towards buying EVs, Republicans don’t, so maybe Elon should have considered that. Teslas aren’t appealing to Democrats now, and there aren’t many Republicans filling in the gaps.
Article from earlier this year:
https://www.npr.org/2025/03/13/nx-s1-5325321/elon-musk-tesla-politics-republican-buyers-sales
We really have to establish a media standard of reporting him as “Elon Musk, a drug-addled centi-billionaire” (with or without the addition of “fascist”).