The Argument for Tesla Parting Ways With Elon Musk
By Eli Ibanga
Originally published at linkedin.com/in/eibanga/ 13 March 2025
We are over a month beyond Elon Musk "giving his heart" (it disgusted me to even type that. side by side image with you-know-who here: https://lnkd.in/gyMchuBM). Surely one must ask then, why on earth is Tesla still associated with him?
From a perspective that strictly surrounds Tesla’s profitability, it makes zero sense to get rid of Musk. He is the quintessential personality hire, but as a CEO. His “personal brand” carries $TSLA, which has resulted in is incredible stock valuation over the years. An argument could be made that his own brand is more valuable than Tesla itself, and their association with him is what makes the company so valuable. And although Tesla is currently experiencing a PR nightmare so bad that the President of the United States has waded into the topic (which is a discussion for another day), from the perspective of a shareholder concerned with profit, how could you justify getting rid of him? Tesla has outperformed major stocks and indexes when viewed holistically. All stocks experience a dip from time to time. Furthermore, he is arguably the most powerful man in the world at the moment, given his unprecedented wealth, access to sensitive US government data, and influence over the President of the United States.
With all that said, I will make a case on why they should get rid of him, even though it will never happen. Long term strategy and principles. If Musk’s brand is indeed more valuable than Tesla’s, then what will happen when he is no longer around? The man isn’t immortal after all. One day he will retire, pass away, or fly off into space to never return. When that day comes, Tesla will lose their “Elon stimulus package”. But their history of association with him will remain. Certain consumer groups have long memories. Of course that may not matter. Sure, Target is currently nearing a 5 year low in stock price, but similar retailers have seen devaluations without any protest in the same period. Any African American reading this surely knows at least one person who refuses to wear Tommy Hilfiger because of the untrue rumors of their being a racist clothing brand from the 90s. That never stopped them from being one of the most iconic brands in the world. Will Tesla’s brand survive post-Elon if they don’t “cut slingload” now? I don’t know. What I *do* know is that they should part with him because his actions are simply unacceptable, whether you believe he did it intentionally or not. Leaders have a responsibility to uphold the highest of ethical standards. As the leader of Tesla, his actions have caused great harm to many employees, consumers, and even private citizens given some of his non-Tesla related activities.