June 15, 2025 • 51 mins
Weekly Elon Musk Update : Tesla, SpaceX, X, Neuralink News
JOIN THE DISCORD >> https://discord.gg/kqW2RZVHcc
VENMO ME - https://venmo.com/u/Wil-Waldon
ABOUT The Elon Musk Podcast
The Elon Musk Podcast takes an in-depth look into the world of the visionary entrepreneur. From SpaceX's mission to colonize Mars, to the revolutionary underground transportation network of the Boring Company, to the cutting-edge technology of Neuralink, and the game-changing innovations of Tesla, we cover it all. Stay up to date with the latest news, events and highlights from the companies led by Elon Musk. ABOUT STAGE ZEROSTAGE ZERO is the YouTube home for all things Elon Musk and the STAGE ZERO Podcast Network. STAGE ZERO features over 10 years of SpaceX, Tesla, Twitter news as well as exclusive videos from podcasts like The Elon Musk Podcast.ABOUT The Elon Musk PodcastThe Elon Musk Podcast takes an in-depth look into the world of the visionary entrepreneur. From SpaceX's mission to colonize Mars, to the revolutionary underground transportation network of the Boring Company, to the cutting-edge technology of Neuralink, and the game-changing innovations of Tesla, we cover it all. Stay up to date with the latest news, events and highlights from the companies led by Elon Musk. ABOUT STAGE ZEROSTAGE ZERO is the YouTube home for all things Elon Musk and the STAGE ZERO Podcast Network. STAGE ZERO features over 10 years of SpaceX, Tesla, Twitter news as well as exclusive videos from podcasts like The Elon Musk Podcast.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:03):
Your ultimate authority for daily Elon Musk News, exploring
the world's biggest ideas with your host Will Walden.
There's something new. Will Elon Musk finally deliver
on his long promised robo taxi revolution?
Now this question has arised after Musk announced this week
the exit tests autonomous taxi service will launch on June 22nd
(00:26):
in Austin, TX. The Robotaxi initiative has
lingered in Musk's promises for about 6 years, positioned as
Tesla's most critical future product and Tesla's ambitious
center around creating self driving vehicles that can
navigate urban environments without human assistance,
ideally rejuvenating the company's dwindling financial
(00:47):
outlook. Now, Tesla's robo taxi strategy
centers around Model Y SU VS currently on the market, though
Musk anticipates a steering wheel free model.
The Cyber cab could enter production by 2026 and Musk
believes that Tesla's camera based technology known as FSD
will offer the necessary precision for safe navigation.
(01:09):
He repeatedly mocks competing technologies such as Lidar,
which is a radar radar based sensor system which is widely
utilized by competitors like Waymo.
Traditional automotive giants previously entered this sphere
only to withdraw after incurringsignificant costs.
General Motors, despite investing billions of dollars,
recently abandoned its robotaxi ambitions, pointing to heavy
(01:32):
investments in an increasingly crowded marketplace.
Ford similarly shuttered its autonomous driving division,
concluding that robotaxis presented excessive financial
and technological challenges. Now, these decisions leave Tesla
alone among major automakers in America.
In pursuing this new technology,however, Tesla faces
(01:55):
considerable obstacles in demonstrating both technological
reliability and economic viability.
Bryant Walker Smith, a Stanford law expert specializing in
autonomous vehicle regulation, argues that Tesla's main hurdle
is economic competition, particularly against human
operated ride sharing services like Uber and Lyft.
Uber drivers often operate underlow wages, which presents
(02:18):
significant pricing pressure on robo taxi services, especially
considering the high maintenanceand operational costs of
autonomous vehicle fleets. And currently, Tesla's approach
contrasts sharply with Waymo. This is an autonomous taxi
service already operational in several U.S. cities like San
Francisco, Los Angeles, Phoenix,and Austin, the same market that
(02:40):
Tesla now targets. Waymo, having begun commercial
operations in 2020, has grown significantly recently,
surpassing 10 million rides delivered via its fleet of about
1500 vehicles. But despite this growth, Waymo
continues to incur substantial losses.
They reported a $4.1 billion deficit last year.
Within Alphabets broader financial structure, though, the
(03:02):
parent company remains highly profitable overall.
Moreover, Uber is strengthening its autonomous vehicle position
through strategic partnerships, particularly with Waymo.
The Uber CEO recently emphasizedthat while humans will remain
central to Uber's model, Robotaxi's offer valuable long
term potential. Uber's collaboration with Waymo
is expanding beyond Austin into new markets like Atlanta, and
(03:26):
they're aiming to gradually integrate autonomous vehicles
into its fleet alongside traditional drivers.
Now, safety concerns also play asignificant role in shaping
public perceptions around robo taxis.
Tesla's vehicles have already attracted scrutiny as incidents.
Tesla's FSD has been involved inleading the National Highway
(03:48):
Traffic Safety Administration tolaunch investigations into
serious crashes, including one fatal accident involving A
pedestrian. A Tesla's reliance solely on
camera based systems without radar or Lidar leaves it
particularly vulnerable to environmental challenges like
sun glare or poor visibility conditions.
(04:08):
Now just take a second and I want to say thank you to Uber.
Uber is helping us out with thisepisode.
And if you've ever thought aboutbecoming an Uber driver, if you
need a little bit of spare cash,maybe 50 bucks here and there,
you want to take somebody out todinner, you want to just save a
little bit of money on the side,do it on the weekends.
(04:28):
It's a really good way to use something that you may already
have that you're not using to its fullest potential.
I've done Uber in the past. I'm going to be honest with you
and the fact that I could make 2or $300 in a day just driving my
car around, talking to cool people, it's great.
There's a link in the show notesfor you to check that out.
(04:51):
And I want you to know I get a little tiny kickback for that.
So when you sign up and you giveyour first ride, I might make
like 5 bucks. So just so you know now, the
autonomous vehicle mirrors historical reservations about
early automated elevators. The initial discomfort typically
(05:12):
subsides quickly once passengersexperience the service full hand
though, so whether Tesla's camera only FSD system can
reliably detect hazards comparable to lighter equipped
vehicles remains A contentious question.
Is it going to miss all the obstacles that are in its way?
Will it drive around them? There's been studies on YouTube
(05:33):
channels, we've all seen them ofTesla completely failing in fog
and not so ideal conditions. So we're going to see how this
works out. Make sure to stay tuned to this
channel because if there's any news about this FSD happening in
Austin, we're going to be there.Economically, though, Tesla
urgently requires a successful new venture as financial
(05:55):
pressures mount. Last year, Tesla's sales
declined for the first time annually, accompanied by a sharp
drop in quarterly profits. The company's stock price
reflects these difficulties, having plunged 30% since a
mid-december peak, partially impacted by market reactions to
Musk's outspoken political affiliations and public
statements. And despite these ongoing
(06:16):
challenges and repeated delays, Musk continues projecting
immense optimism about the robo taxi on Tesla's value.
He claimed during an investor presentation earlier this year
robotaxis could trigger the largest asset value increase in
human history, suggesting Tesla could dominate as much as 99% of
the robotaxi market. But think about this.
(06:39):
If Tesla can nail FSD, they already have the production
facilities to make as many cars as they need.
Analysts remain skeptical about Musk's claims, though.
Gordon Johnson of GLJ Research dismisses the forthcoming June
launches More promotional than practical, Johnson argues that
Tesla's latest move amongst to merely demonstrating technical
(07:02):
capability rather than seriouslytesting commercial feasibility.
And he said that there's a possibility that Tesla will only
be able to have enough cars on the road to make it worth it in
about a year or two. Now skepticism it's broader
industry doubts surrounding Musk's repeated ambitions about
(07:25):
Tesla's performance gaps now. Smith also notes that Musk's
long record of overly optimisticforecasts undermines current
assertions. Historically, Musk has
repeatedly announced imminent breakthroughs for Tesla's
autonomous vehicle ambitions will need to postpone or revise
these timelines substantially byyears, possibly decades.
(07:48):
FSD was announced a long time ago, still isn't here
completely. Tesla did not respond to
requests from us for further comment on the impending launch.
As June 22nd approaches, Tesla'ssuccess or struggle and
delivering a mobile viable robo taxi service could decisively
impact the company's long term viability and also reshape
(08:10):
everybody's visions of Musk's credibility.
Just as future prospects hinge significantly on whether its
latest robot taxi announcement proves to be another unmet
promise or the beginning of our transformative new era for
autonomous transportation. Elon Musk is shifting his tone
(08:30):
on Donald Trump after weeks of backlash triggered a rare
internal warning from Tesla's board of directors.
Public criticism surged following Musk's prominent role
in Trump's second administration, and for the
first time in years, Tesla's leadership told Musk directly
that his political behavior was damaging the company.
Multiple people familiar with that matter said the board told
(08:51):
Musk he would need to walk back his statements about Trump and
fast or risk losing his positionat Tesla now.
The shift began in late spring, shortly after Musk stood next to
Trump at a White House press event and doubled down on the
federal layoffs driven by Doge. The Department of Government
Efficiency and Musk had personally overseen the cuts,
(09:11):
defended them publicly and celebrated his success at the
Oval Office. But inside Tesla, those moments
created a different kind of panic.
Key customers began cancelling orders.
Sentiment on investor calls turned hostile.
Tesla stock dipped sharply in the two weeks following Musk's
highest profile political appearances.
(09:33):
Board members took notice as well.
Two directors, including one whohas worked with Musk since
Tesla's earliest years, warned that public association with
Trump was becoming an existential threat to the brand.
They argued that Musk's recent political comments were
alienating core Tesla buyers, many of whom lean liberal or
identify with climate activism. When director reportedly told
(09:56):
him you can't sell clean energy cars while backing someone
tearing up the EPA. Now Tesla's internal data team
had already flagged concerning trends.
Social media sentiment analysts showed Tesla's brand approval
had dropped by double digits in key markets like California and
New York. Suburban buyers wants a stable
(10:17):
Tesla demographic. We're voicing concerns about
Musk's comments on LGBTQ rights in his dismissive tone toward
climate policy. Now Tesla's PR team, which Musk
had famously dismantled, struggled to mount any kind of
response. Privately, Elon Musk started
softening his language. At a June meeting, he was asked
(10:38):
about his role in Trump's secondterm, and for the first time, he
didn't answer with his usual bravado.
He said only that he believed inefficiency and wanted what was
best for the country. He avoided using Trump's name
entirely. The silence wasn't random.
Sources close to the board say they told him that
disassociating from Trump was non negotiable if he wanted to
(11:00):
maintain his leadership position.
The pressure came as Tesla facedother vulnerabilities.
Its market global share had begun shrinking under intense
competition from Chinese electric vehicle makers, and the
company also remained under federal investigation for safety
violations tied to Autopilot. Any appearance of political
(11:21):
favoritism risked drawing unwanted attention to those
cases, especially since Musk hadhelped dismantle the regulatory
agencies meant to oversee them. That board members also raised
concerns about brand consistencyfor years.
Test the market itself as a clean tech leader, a climate
first brand backed by innovation.
(11:41):
Musk's political rhetoric was pulling the company into a
completely different orbit. When Musk echoed Trump's anti
trans talking points and used terms like woke mind virus,
Tesla's legal and marketing teams received a wave of emails
from longtime customers threatening to cancel orders.
At the core of the board's concern was shareholder trust,
though. After Musk's purchase of
(12:03):
Twitter, Now X, many investors question whether he could
balance Tesla's needs with his growing political ventures.
The Trump alliance pushed those concerns over the edge.
Major institutional investors warned that Musk's behavior was
destabilizing the company's value.
Some quietly began trimming their Tesla holdings.
And the final breaking point came when Tesla's customer
(12:23):
satisfaction rating dropped below 70% for the first time in
the company's modern history. Internal polling attributed the
decline directly to Musk's political activity and public
persona. One director told colleagues
that our product didn't get worse, our CEO did.
And after the internal push, Musk began a slow retreat.
(12:46):
He has not publicly apologized for his role in Trump's
administration, but insiders sayhe issued a private statement to
test the board members, acknowledging that he had let
personal convictions interfere with company responsibilities.
That message wasn't released publicly but was seen as the
first step toward more visible damage control.
And the Musk's recent tweets have also reflected this change.
(13:09):
In early May, he posted praise for renewable energy initiatives
in Europe, shared a photo of Tesla solar installation in
Puerto Rico, and promoted an LGBTQ friendly hiring campaign
at a Tesla plant in Nevada. Those posts are part of what
some inside the company to describe as a coordinated effort
to rebalance his image. Still, Tesla employees remain
(13:31):
skeptical. Several said that unless Musk
offers a direct public apology or makes a clean break from
Trump, the damage may already bedone.
Others within the company fear that Musk's political ambitions
will resurface after the immediate backlash fades.
And at a June meeting, one director proposed setting up a
formal political conduct clause and Musk's executive agreement,
(13:53):
an unprecedented move at Tesla. And that proposal has not yet
been approved. But its existence signals just
how seriously the company now views the situation.
And for Elon Musk, the tension between personal freedom and
corporate leadership is becomingharder to manage.
Built Tesla on the back of a progressive consumer base and
that finds themselves at odds with much of his user base.
(14:18):
That same community that built Tesla and made him so rich, they
feel like he has turned his backon them.
And now he's on a public campaign to wash away everything
that he did with Donald Trump, all the negative things that he
said about the community, everything he said about people.
(14:40):
He's trying to wash that all away.
That's what these people think. And it's public turn toward hard
right politics alienated a segment of the market that I
made Tesla one of the most admired brands in the entire
world. Now, if Musk doesn't make a more
explicit public correction, the company may face deeper
problems. Now, we all know if you've been
(15:02):
following this, that Elon Musk had broken ties with Trump on X,
therefore he thinks that does the company well.
I'm sure the shareholders found that good and people inside the
company were impressed by that. But he also just said I may have
(15:23):
taken things too far. He didn't say he disagreed or he
is completely cutting ties with President Donald Trump.
He's just said that he may have taken his actions a little bit
too far, which if you know the policies in Tesla right now and
what they're looking to put on his executive contract in the
(15:47):
future. I think political leanings for
Elon Musk or any CEO that may bereplacing him, which isn't the
case at this point, But anybody that may be replacing Elon Musk
in the future, I think they should be held accountable for
any political damage that they do to the brand.
My own personal opinion, I thinkElon Musk went wild for a little
(16:11):
bit there on X and he's pulled back, He's apologized and for
most of the people that used to support Elon Musk, they believe
this is APR campaign. He doesn't really feel this way.
Elon Musk is just posting these things on X.
They even think the break from Donald Trump.
(16:32):
Some people think the break fromDonald Trump.
Even internal people on the board think the break from
Donald Trump or know that the break from Donald Trump is
actually just APR stunt to convince just enough people from
left-leaning policies, those kind of people to buy Teslas
(16:52):
again. The stock is dipping, the sales
are going away, and if you couldget even a small margin of those
people back by pretending to be done with Trump, because Trump,
as was stated last week by Donald Trump on True Social and
on X, that the easiest way to save money was to cut Elon
(17:16):
Musk's contracts with Tesla and SpaceX and Neuralink and all of
his companies. Donald Trump said that and then
immediately Elon Musk blew up athim and said they're going to
stop doing the Dragon spacecraft.
That's the spacecraft that sendshumans to the International
Space Station and to space. They're going to cut all of that
(17:40):
funding and stop making new versions of the Dragon.
They plan that anyway. Elon Musk and SpaceX has been
planning that for years. They were going to decommission
the older Dragon spacecrafts andjust use the new versions.
They can't get rid of the Dragonspacecraft.
(18:01):
They have contracts with NASA, they have contracts with the
government, they have private contracts that sends people to
space. They can't decommission the
whole thing right away, but theyare planning to decommission the
Dragon spacecraft when Starship comes fully online, when they
can send people to space, to lowEarth orbit and to the Moon and
(18:21):
Mars, etcetera. With Starship, they're going to
decommission that anyway. So the plan was there to
decommission it. Elon Musk's didn't state a time
frame. He said immediately, but who
knows what crafts he was talkingabout.
And this is because I have covered SpaceX for the last five
years and know the insurance andouts of the company.
(18:43):
And you know what they're what the briefing briefings are and
what has been talked about the Dragon spacecraft, the newer
versions will stick around. The older versions
decommissioned. So maybe Elon Musk was talking
about that. And maybe this was what some
people feel internally at Tesla.They feel that this was all
smoke and mirrors to get Elon's companies back on track.
(19:10):
Let me know what you think in the comments.
If you have comments on your podcast platform, I'd greatly
appreciate the community that we're building here and the
family that we're building around these new stories.
So please hit us, hit the subscribe button or the follow
button on your podcast platform right now on your app because
that really helps us out too. That's all I'm going to ask for
you. Just one second of your time to
(19:31):
hit follow. I'm going to give you 5 more
years of this podcast. I've already given you 5, I've
given you 800 plus almost 900 episodes now, something like
that, almost 1000 episodes. We're coming up on 1000 soon.
So I want to say thank you so much for being here today and
take care of yourselves. Elon Musk helped finance Donald
(19:52):
Trump's return to power with nearly $288 million in
donations. Now, less than six months later,
Musk is watching then investmentdestabilize his whole empire.
Now the alliance between the twomen began as a mutual beneficial
transaction. Musk funneled money into
Republican campaigns and super PAC's, betting on Trump's re
(20:13):
election to secure policy advantages and also business
leverage. Tesla stocks surged after
Trump's victory in November, SpaceX faced fewer regulatory
hurdles, and Musk's influence inWashington reached a new peak.
Now, after a sudden and ugly public fallout, the billionaire
is totally exposed. Trump threatened to cancel
(20:34):
federal contracts tied to Musk'scompanies.
That threat carries real consequences because Musk relies
heavily on government funding and Trump has the tools to
interfere. Now, the White House holds
discretionary control over billions in federal contracts
and tax credits. Trump reminded Musk of that
power in a statement last week, warning of very serious
(20:56):
consequences if Musk supported Democrats.
Now, Musk hasn't endorsed anyonefor 2028, but he has hinted at
starting his own third party. But the comment, according to
sources close to the administration, irritated Donald
Trump, who views political loyalty as transactional.
Musk tried to dial things down over the weekend but deleted a
(21:18):
series of attacks he posted about Trump on X.
But the damage has already been spreading across Musk's business
empire. SpaceX, Tesla all feeling it.
But Tesla lost $34 billion in market value after the feud
became public, according to Bloomberg's Billionaires Index.
The loss is the second biggest single week decline in the
(21:41):
index's history. The sell off erased months of
gains and rattled Tesla shareholders, many of whom have
grown frustrated with Musk's political distractions.
And Tesla shares are down more than 20% this year, and it's
quarterly profits fell 71% compared to the same period last
year. Analysts traced the slide to
slumping EV demand and politicalbacklash.
(22:02):
And Trump's new tax plan aims toeliminate the $7500 EV credit,
which is a move that could cost Tesla $1.2 billion in annual
revenues, according to JP Morgan.
Tesla's financial downturn comesas Musk faces mounting federal
scrutiny. The National Highway Traffic
(22:22):
Safety Administration recently asked Tesla to provide detailed
plans for its robo taxi launch, citing safety concerns.
Now, the company has several active investigations related to
its Autopilot and Full Self Driving software going on.
And these probes began under theBiden administration but also
remain ongoing under Trump. And if Trump decides to increase
(22:45):
pressure, he has tools to stall permits or ramp up regulatory
reviews. That creates more unnecessary
uncertainty for Tesla at a moment when investors are
already uneasy. Meanwhile, Elon Musk is
attempting to shift public focusback to the product side.
Tesla's preferring to unveil hisrobotaxi in Austin this week.
(23:06):
And Musk has teased this event on X, claiming the company is
now testing self driving. Model Y is in the streets.
He hopes the launch will improvesentiment around Tesla and
rebuild investor confidence, butinternal pressure is mounting.
A coalition of activist shareholders sent a letter last
week to Tesla's board chair demanding that must commit at
(23:26):
least 40 hours per week to Teslaalone, and the group accused him
of neglecting his duties while chasing political ambitions and
running unrelated businesses. Brad Lander, who overseas the
New York City public pension system, criticized Musk's recent
actions after Thursday's Tesla stock drop.
The pension fund, which holds more than 3,000,000 Tesla
(23:47):
shares, lost over $150 million in one day.
Lander, who is also running for New York City mayor, called the
feud a disaster and said Musk's political obsession has created
direct financial harm to many investors.
His comments reflect growing discontent among institutional
shareholders, who once praised Musk's risk taking but now see
(24:10):
it as erratic and also see him as a reckless individual.
And beyond Tesla, Musk's other companies face similar threats
from Donald Trump. SpaceX relies on federal
contracts to launch NASA astronauts and Pentagon
satellites. Trump's threat to cancel those
contracts sent a chill through SpaceX.
(24:30):
Officials at NASA and the Department of Defense privately
acknowledged that terminating existing SpaceX deals would be
logistically difficult. Still, they have started urging
competitors to accelerate development as a hedge.
SpaceX remains the only active U.S. company with the ability to
launch humans into space, but officials say they do not want
(24:52):
to be held hostage by 1 supplierNow.
Analyst Ross Gerber, a longtime Musk supporter turned critic,
estimates that SpaceX would losehalf its valuation if it lost
access to federal money. The company has built a
lucrative commercial business, but it's more consistent and
high paying client is still the US government.
(25:12):
Any disruption in those contracts would ripple through
Musk's entire operation from Starlink expansion to Starship
development. Gerber also warned that Musk's
current behavior is damaging relationships with regulators
and customers. He reduced his Tesla stake last
week. Suddenly that he called Musk
self-destructive leadership style.
(25:35):
And I don't know if you rememberthis, but at the beginning of
Starship development, the FAA and SpaceX were always kind of
at odds. SpaceX would be done with a part
of the mission so they could flythe actual ship, but it would
take the FAA months to regulate that one launch and they went
(25:56):
through numerous cycles of a Starship in one go from the FAA.
So if anything happens with thisadministration to slow down
Starship development, that meansthat SpaceX and NASA won't be
getting astronauts to the moon anytime soon if they delay
(26:16):
Starships. Now, let me let me back this up
a little bit. SpaceX will need to test 100
Starships before they get to themoon.
They need to be able to refuel in orbit.
They need to be able to orbit the Earth properly.
They need to be able to get a Starship to the moon, land it on
the moon, and then take off fromthe moon into lunar orbit, where
(26:39):
they will meet up with another craft and that craft will take
the astronauts back down to Earth.
Now, if they're slowed down Spacex's Lander, the lunar
Starship, the HLS contract Starship is slowed down a
development cycle. This means that SpaceX probably
won't get to the moon in the next 6-7 years, and that's not a
(27:05):
good thing. SpaceX is on flight 10, next of
Starship. The last three flights have been
a disaster. There has been explosions of the
ship for the last three ship flights.
The booster exploded last time because they were pushing it
towards its limits and they pushed it past the limits, which
was kind of expected. But the ship, they thought they
(27:26):
had everything fixed, but apparently either something else
was wrong or they didn't have the same problem fixed and the
thing exploded. So right now SpaceX is trying to
get back into the cycle of actually testing the ships in
orbit so they can eventually send it or sorry sorry to
(27:51):
orbital velocity until someday they will make Starship in
orbit, place it in orbit and they'll orbit the earth a few
times and come back down in the ocean probably.
So if they can succeed in the next few missions, I can see
that happening in the next within the next 5 missions.
They are also want to do a star link drop off in space and if
(28:15):
they get that done, that's a huge step as well because then
they can launch Starships and Starlinks at the same time, make
money from the Starlinks and also test Starships at the same
time. So when SpaceX is going to do
the next round of testing after ship, after the flight 10,
(28:35):
flight 11, flight 12, flight 13,we're expecting bigger things
from them, more kind of experimental things from them,
because right now they just haveto make it to orbital velocity
and make it back down to the Indian Ocean.
But you know, it's not just about SpaceX or Tesla must has a
hands and a lot of things, XAI and brain tech from Neuralink
(28:59):
also depend on clear pathways through highly regulated,
regulated sectors. X AI competes directly with Open
AI, Anthropic and Google DeepMind, and all of which have
relationships in Washington and teams focused on policy
compliance. All of those people in those
companies, they're kind of quiet, unlike Elon Musk who
likes to speak his mind and likes to be a free speech
(29:22):
absolutist. Of course, on X, where he can
say anything he wants without repercussions until there are
repercussions. And Neuralink, which works on
brain computer interfaces, must secure approvals from the Food
and Drug Administration and maintain trust with medical
institutions. Any perception of political
instability at the top of Musk'sempire could delay approvals or
(29:46):
dry up strategic partnerships. Now, as those sectors mature,
though, policy risks will rise because they're going to be
doing more invasive and higher tier things, so the policy risks
will not fall. And Trump's campaign aligned
closely with Musk throughout 2023 and early 2024.
(30:10):
And Trump appointed Musk to Lee Doge, which is an economic
advisory panel, and he's invitedhim to many of his events,
invited him to Mar a Lago. Tesla was featured prominently
during a March White House eventcelebrating electric vehicles.
Trump personally test drove one of the company's red model wise,
and he still has it at the WhiteHouse.
(30:30):
He says he's not getting rid of it.
The public embrace stood in stark contrast to the Biden
administration, which consistently excluded Tesla from
clean energy events. Now, the change gave Musk and
his company's rear inside track.But that track now looks far
more precarious. But it also looks like Elon and
Trump may be making up. We're going to keep you abreast
(30:53):
of that situation in the few days coming forward.
And Musk's original plan was to gain access, reduce regulation
and redirect subsidies towards his businesses.
And that that unraveled current public feud has not only raised
billions in market value for harder hard working people that
earn that money to invest in hiscompanies and invest in Elon.
(31:17):
Now this is the person that oncewalked into Washington as a
kingmaker. And now he faces potential
retaliation from the same systemthat he tried to game Elon Musk
skewed with Donald Trump. And his abrupt exit from federal
government role has not slowed down the protest campaign aimed
directly at his influence. A Protesters linked to the Tesla
(31:40):
takedown movement returned to Tesla showrooms across the
country this weekend, continuingtheir pressure campaign.
Despite Musk's withdrawal from the Department of Government
efficiency in his fallout with Trump over a massive tax and
spending proposal, the central question that keeps fueling this
campaign remains clear. Will direct action against Elon
Musk's influence affect Tesla's future and public trust and
(32:03):
billionaire backed policy now? Musk left DOGE days before
calling Trump's tax and domesticagenda a disgusting abomination.
Now, despite having donated $288,000,000 to Trump's 2024
campaign, that is now. That reversal triggered a public
confrontation with Trump threatening to cancel government
contracts with SpaceX, Tesla, and other Musk companies.
(32:26):
Now, Musk escalated the feud by claiming that Trump wouldn't
have won without him. This fight spilled into the
streets, where protesters continued targeting Musk's
economic and political entanglements.
On Saturday, organizers scheduled 60 separate
demonstrations under the Tesla takedown banner.
The campaign, launched in February during Musk's tenure at
(32:48):
DOGE, urges Tesla owners to selltheir vehicles and shareholders
to liquidate their stakes. Demonstrations happened in
cities from Florida to Kentucky to Georgia, each one demanding
public accountability and rejection of what organizers
call Musk's grip on policy and technology.
Now, a protest outside of Tesla showroom in Washington, DC's
(33:10):
Georgetown neighborhood drew about 30 participants despite
rain in competition from Pride Month events.
Organizers attributed the lower turn out to weather, noting that
the previous weekend's event in Rockville, MD, brought in about
200 people. They insisted the message still
matters even when numbers fluctuate.
Protesters claim Musk's departure from DOGE changes
(33:32):
nothing above his overall influence.
Melissa Nutsen said that Musk going home with his tail between
his legs doesn't alter their goal.
She repeated the group SCORE message.
People should sell their Teslas,divest their stock in protest
until Musk no longer holds any public power.
(33:54):
Now, they claim that opposing Musk is necessary to protect
democratic systems and public well-being.
Tesla's financial performance added momentum to this campaign,
and the company reported a 13% drop in vehicle deliveries in
Q1, which is the worst in its history.
Tesla stock fell 14% this week and remains 47% below is
(34:15):
December high. Now, these protesters have said
that seeing the stock fall boosted the morale at the
Israelis, reinforcing their belief that this kind of public
pressure is effective against Elon.
Now, Musk attributed the drop insales to weak consumer
confidence in a macroeconomic factors, but industry data shows
(34:37):
that other EV makers increased deliveries during the same
period. That contradiction strengthened
the resolve among demonstrators who blame Elon Musk's leadership
and behavior for Tesla struggles.
Organizers used Musk's departurefrom Doe's to launch another
protest push on social media. They announced that June 28th,
which is Elon Musk's birthday, they'll mark another day of
(35:00):
protests. They call the upcoming date a
recommitment and encourage people to rally even harder.
They reiterated that the movement is against the
consolidation of political and economic power in the hands of
just a few billionaires. Protesters also urged large
investment funds to drop Tesla shares.
Some cited a May letter from institutional investors to
(35:23):
Tesla's board that criticized management decisions and
corporate governance. Now these public and private
efforts from A2 pronged strategy, eternal pressure and
internal financial disruption. Now that's to reduce Elon Musk's
overall influence. Longtime protesters say they see
no reason to back down. Jean Faris, who's attended her
(35:46):
fifth Tesla protest, believes Musk's influence remains strong
even without Doge. James Deckard said the
gatherings create a sense of motivation and community among
critics who want to resist what they see as Musk's control over
public priorities. Some see the Musk Trump conflict
as irrelevant to the broader protest school.
(36:07):
Donna Powell, who has participated in up to 60 anti
Trump rallies, described Musk and Trump as quote, billionaire
brats having a tiff quote. She dismissed the idea that
Trump supporters would shift their stance to join the
protests against Musk, suggesting the president's base
remains unmoved. Now, her husband, Don Powell,
(36:30):
argued that the rivalry between Trump and Musk won't last.
They predicted that both men will eventually reconcile
because their interests align. Protesters on the ground believe
that the underlying structures keeping people like Musk in
positions of power have not changed, even as political
alliances will shift. Some people think that the rift
(36:53):
between Elon Musk and President Donald Trump is simply a
distraction from something that's going on deeper in the
government. Is there something that they're
hiding? We don't really know, but that's
what some protesters believe. Maybe there's something going on
with DOGE that we shouldn't knowabout now.
Musk has not responded to inquiries about the protests or
(37:15):
his exit from DOGE from this podcast.
Neither has Tesla nor early Tesla takedown organizers now.
That silence has not stopped themovement, though.
Organizers say they are already planning the next round of
demonstrations and encourage supporters to take more
aggressive action before the next corporate earnings report.
(37:35):
Will you be there at the protests?
Let me know what you think. If your podcast platform has
comments, I want to hear it. Let's have a discussion about
this. Want to know what you think
about Elon Musk and if you have soured on the idea of Elon Musk,
That's a great conversation to have.
I know a lot of people have in my circle, and some people,
(37:56):
they're completely behind the guy.
So let me know what you think inthe comments on whatever podcast
platform you're on right now. Now the Tesla takedown protests
continue despite leadership changes and political infighting
because organizers believe that Musk's influence still poses the
huge direct threat to democraticpolicy and also market
(38:21):
integrity. What will happen at the next
Musk protest on his birthday? Will it be peaceful?
Will there be Tesla showrooms caught on fire again?
Just have to wait and find out. June 28th, Musk's birthday.
Also on your podcast platform right now, I want you to take a
(38:42):
second and hit the subscribe or follow button.
And also, if you have a like button, that'd be great.
And also, if you've been listening for a long time and
you haven't given us a review, I'd really appreciate it if you
reviewed the podcast. Give us a good review.
You know, if you like the show, give us a good review.
I'd really appreciate it. We really need that right now.
(39:02):
The president of the United States has just threatened a
private citizen. Donald Trump told Elon Musk to
expect very serious consequencesif he funds political candidates
that Trump poses. Now, this threat didn't come
through a leak or some sort of back channel message.
It came directly from the president himself during a phone
(39:25):
interview with NB CS Kristen Welker.
Now, that message followed a series of public jabs between
the two men revealing a larger question.
What happens when the President Donald Trump threatens to
retaliate against a private citizen for political donations?
Trump's threat wasn't vague, though.
In a Thursday post, he suggestedcutting off federal contracts
(39:46):
and subsidies to Musk's companies as a budget saving
measure. That post followed Musk's public
criticism of the GOP's latest budget legislation and his call
to vote out incumbents in 2026. Elon also followed the idea of
launching a new political party to represent the 80% in the
middle. Trump responded within days,
warning that if Musk backs Democratic candidates in the
(40:08):
midterms, he'll suffer unspecified consequences now.
The president didn't explain what those would be, but
insisted they'd be very serious.Now, Musk donated at least
$288,000,000 to support Trump and other Republicans during the
2024 election cycle, according to campaign finance reports that
some made him the most influential financial backer in
(40:31):
GOP circles last year. Now his abrupt threat to
redirect support away from the party or possibly fund third
party or Democratic candidates has triggered Donald Trump's
escalated warnings. Now, the message that Donald
Trump is sending is that loyaltyis transactional, and switching
sides comes with penalties. Trump's tactics have created
(40:54):
unease even among some of his political allies.
Federal subsidies have played a major role in sustaining Musk's
companies. SpaceX receives billions through
NASA contracts, and Tesla benefits from energy credits and
tax incentives tied to its EVs. Now, cutting those off would
have tangible effects on operations, investors and jobs.
(41:16):
The threat was targeted directlyto Elon Musk and his finances
and his businesses. In a private discussions with
donors, Trump has emphasized hispreference for transactional
politics. Sources familiar with the
situation say that Trump views financial loyalty as a
cornerstone of his political machine.
That makes Musk's dissent unusually dangerous, in Trump's
(41:40):
view. Musk, who once boasted of being
a free speech absolutist, has found herself caught between
asserting political independenceand preserving access to
government resources for him andalso his companies.
Now the dynamic matters to everybody.
Beyond personal grudges. Tech, CE, OS and federal
(42:00):
officials are always navigating a new era of policy influence
right now, where access and funding increasingly depend on
personal relationships rather than traditional lobbying or
merit. It looks like handshake deals
are happening throughout Trump'sadministration.
Musk had enjoyed a period of influence under Trump, including
friendly meetings and favorable public comments staying at
(42:23):
Trump's estates. Now that influence is completely
gone. It's evaporated.
Other tech leaders see this as an opportunity to fill the void,
though. Executives of companies like
Palantir and Andrill, both heavily defense focused, see a
pathway to gain favor with the administration.
Industry sources say these firmsare already increasing the
(42:43):
federal lobbying efforts, givingmore and more money, and
positioning themselves as alternative to Elon Musk.
Now. Mehta's leadership has also
shifted its political tone, aligning more closely with
Trump's rhetoric in recent months.
Musk's misstep could create roomfor new favourites of Trump to
emerge now. Musk, standing at Silicon
Valley, had already begun to erode due to his erratic
(43:06):
published statements and inconsistent business focuses
recently. And while respected for
engineering successes and managing Tesla and SpaceX, he's
frustrated partners and investors with unpredictable
behavior and unkept promises. And losing Trump's favor could
further isolate him, especially if his corporate empire becomes
the target of scrutiny for Trump's administration.
(43:29):
One consequence of this view is the potential change in US space
policy. SpaceX currently dominates
government satellite launches and space logistics, and federal
agencies begin to shift contracts toward Blue Origin.
Who's Jeff Bezos? His space venture.
He could benefit handsomely. Sources familiar with NASA's
current contract review process say the agency exploring ways to
(43:51):
diversify launch providers and light of political risk
associated with single vendor dependency, such as SpaceX, now
open AI, who of course Elon has been warring with for a while.
Sam Altman stands to benefit from the political fallout as
well. Although Altman has his own
ongoing feud with Elon Musk, he has navigated the post election
(44:12):
power structure with more discretion.
He repurposed a large scale datacenter initiative as a federal
infrastructure project and secured a White House photo op
shortly after Trump's inauguration.
His strategy earned him credibility inside the
administration without attracting Musk style
controversy. Now, the silence from other tech
(44:33):
leaders speaks volumes. Here, most prefer to avoid
choosing sides in the political feud that could affect federal
contracts and our trust actions or export licenses.
Many executives are quietly hopeful the Musk's departure
from Trump's inner circle will ease policy negotiations and
create a more predictable business environment for their
companies. Now the administration's
(44:55):
treatment of Musk reveals how Trump views power and loyalty,
sees wealth and influence as useful tools when they serve his
political goals, and his liabilities when they don't
serve him anymore. Musk helped fuel the Republican
campaign in 2024, but in 2026, that might not be enough to
shield him from Donald Trump's retribution.
(45:19):
Trump's message is very blunt. You can fund the opposition, but
it will cost you. What happens when the personal
feud between AUS president and the world's most powerful
private space executive threatens the stability of
American space infrastructure? That question now looms over the
(45:40):
relationship between Donald Trump and Elon Musk.
Tensions escalated after Trump publicly criticized Musk,
calling him a disappointment despite claiming he had helped
him significantly. Musk responded by threatening to
pull Spacex's Dragon spacecraft from NASA service, an abrupt
move that could have impacted core US space missions.
(46:01):
Even though Musk walked back thethreat within hours, the damage
had already been done. Both NASA and the White House
now face new uncertainty over one of their most vital private
sector partnerships. SpaceX is not just a contractor
for NASA, it is the only companycurrently transporting
astronauts to and from the International Space Station
using US based infrastructure. The Dragon spacecraft has become
(46:25):
essential to America's human spaceflight capability.
Since the retirement of the space shuttle, NASA has relied
on Spacex's vehicles to carry USand Allied astronauts into low
Earth orbit. No other American company offers
this service at the same frequency, reliability and cost.
Pulling Dragon out of the lineup, even temporarily, would
(46:46):
leave a major gap in crew transport capabilities.
After years of using a monopoly provider, United Launch
Alliance, a Boeing and Lockheed Martin merger, NASA opened up
competition to reduce costs and attract innovation.
SpaceX quickly underbid its rivals by reducing launch and
spacecraft development costs. The Dragon capsule alone came in
under budget, falling from initial billion dollar estimates
(47:09):
to hundreds of millions. That allowed NASA to shift to a
pay for service model, outsourcing missions to private
companies rather than managing the entire stack internally.
Over time, NASA funneled more money into SpaceX projects.
Since 2008, U.S. government agencies have awarded SpaceX
over $20 billion in contracts. Of that, NASA accounts for more
(47:32):
than $15 billion, including $2.9billion for developing a human
landing system for the Artemis moon missions and another $4.9
billion for ferrying astronauts to and from the ISS.
The financial arrangement is mutually beneficial.
Musk recently stated that SpaceXwill generate $1.1 billion in
(47:53):
revenue from NASA this year alone.
SpaceX has also stepped in when other government contractors
failed. Last year, NASA selected SpaceX
to retrieve 2 stranded astronauts from the ISS after
Boeing's Starliner capsule encountered delays and technical
issues. The decision signaled more than
just confidence in SpaceX. It reinforced NASA's practical
(48:15):
reliance on Musk's company to keep key missions operational.
That kind of trust doesn't emerge overnight.
It reflects years of successful launches and dependable delivery
on complex missions. Spacex's role extends far beyond
human spaceflight. The company is conducting more
launches per year than any otherprivate or government player.
In the last 12 months, SpaceX launched nearly twice as many
(48:37):
missions as the next three most active launch providers
combined. Those missions support
commercial satellite clients, internal Starlink deployments
and military payloads. The volume of flights ensures
SpaceX dominates launch cadence,giving it logistical leverage
unmatched by competitors. The Starlink satellite Internet
network adds a second layer of strategic value.
(48:59):
Starlink connects everything from remote government sites to
active military zones. One of its most visible uses has
been in Ukraine, where defense officials have relied on
Starlink to maintain communications amid Russian
attacks on infrastructure. That application turned Starlink
into a high interest asset for the Pentagon and other NATO
partners. Beyond defense consulting firm
(49:20):
Quilty Space projects that Starlink will generate $12.3
billion in revenue for SpaceX this year, making it a financial
cornerstone that doesn't depend on federal budgets.
Spacex's footprint across federal agencies keeps
expanding. The company is integrated into
planning for future Department of Defense missions with a $6
billion contract awarded in April 2025 for satellite
(49:43):
launches. NASA also selected SpaceX to
deorbit the ISS at the end of its operational life in 20-30.
Meanwhile, the Trump administration considered a
SpaceX proposal for a missile defense system nicknamed Golden
Dome, which would combine groundbased interceptors with
satellite capabilities. The proposal hasn't been
finalized, but national securityofficials believe SpaceX is a
(50:06):
likely partner because of its unmatched launch capacity and
ongoing development of Starship,a heavy lift vehicle built for
large scale missions. The idea of Musk pulling SpaceX
out of U.S. government work overpolitical tensions isn't just
unlikely, it would also run counter to his business goals.
SpaceX is deeply embedded in thearchitectures of future American
(50:26):
space exploration and defense operations.
Unwinding that integration woulddisrupt multiple long term
projects including Mars related missions, commercial lunar
contracts, and military communications satellites.
Musk continues to promote a longterm goal of making humanity a
multi planetary species, which aligns with Spacex's deep
government ties. NASA officials believe a total
(50:49):
severing of ties is improbable. While increasing competition
remains a long term objective, few companies are positioned to
compete with SpaceX on price, speed, and scale.
Even Musk acknowledges the need for rivals, but those rivals
will take years to match his lead.
Until then, NASA and the Department of Defense will
(51:11):
continue relying on SpaceX for the missions they cannot yet
outsource to others. A NASA spokesperson stated that
the agency will continue fulfilling the president's
objectives in space by partnering with private
industry, including SpaceX. That statement affirms that
despite any political friction, the agency sees no short term
alternatives to its collaboration with Musk's
(51:32):
company.
Your ultimate authority for daily Elon Musk News, exploring
the world's biggest ideas with your host Will Walden.
There's something new. Will Elon Musk finally deliver
on his long promised robo taxi revolution?
Now this question has arised after Musk announced this week
the exit tests autonomous taxi service will launch on June 22nd
(00:26):
in Austin, TX. The Robotaxi initiative has
lingered in Musk's promises for about 6 years, positioned as
Tesla's most critical future product and Tesla's ambitious
center around creating self driving vehicles that can
navigate urban environments without human assistance,
ideally rejuvenating the company's dwindling financial
(00:47):
outlook. Now, Tesla's robo taxi strategy
centers around Model Y SU VS currently on the market, though
Musk anticipates a steering wheel free model.
The Cyber cab could enter production by 2026 and Musk
believes that Tesla's camera based technology known as FSD
will offer the necessary precision for safe navigation.
(01:09):
He repeatedly mocks competing technologies such as Lidar,
which is a radar radar based sensor system which is widely
utilized by competitors like Waymo.
Traditional automotive giants previously entered this sphere
only to withdraw after incurringsignificant costs.
General Motors, despite investing billions of dollars,
recently abandoned its robotaxi ambitions, pointing to heavy
(01:32):
investments in an increasingly crowded marketplace.
Ford similarly shuttered its autonomous driving division,
concluding that robotaxis presented excessive financial
and technological challenges. Now, these decisions leave Tesla
alone among major automakers in America.
In pursuing this new technology,however, Tesla faces
(01:55):
considerable obstacles in demonstrating both technological
reliability and economic viability.
Bryant Walker Smith, a Stanford law expert specializing in
autonomous vehicle regulation, argues that Tesla's main hurdle
is economic competition, particularly against human
operated ride sharing services like Uber and Lyft.
Uber drivers often operate underlow wages, which presents
(02:18):
significant pricing pressure on robo taxi services, especially
considering the high maintenanceand operational costs of
autonomous vehicle fleets. And currently, Tesla's approach
contrasts sharply with Waymo. This is an autonomous taxi
service already operational in several U.S. cities like San
Francisco, Los Angeles, Phoenix,and Austin, the same market that
(02:40):
Tesla now targets. Waymo, having begun commercial
operations in 2020, has grown significantly recently,
surpassing 10 million rides delivered via its fleet of about
1500 vehicles. But despite this growth, Waymo
continues to incur substantial losses.
They reported a $4.1 billion deficit last year.
Within Alphabets broader financial structure, though, the
(03:02):
parent company remains highly profitable overall.
Moreover, Uber is strengthening its autonomous vehicle position
through strategic partnerships, particularly with Waymo.
The Uber CEO recently emphasizedthat while humans will remain
central to Uber's model, Robotaxi's offer valuable long
term potential. Uber's collaboration with Waymo
is expanding beyond Austin into new markets like Atlanta, and
(03:26):
they're aiming to gradually integrate autonomous vehicles
into its fleet alongside traditional drivers.
Now, safety concerns also play asignificant role in shaping
public perceptions around robo taxis.
Tesla's vehicles have already attracted scrutiny as incidents.
Tesla's FSD has been involved inleading the National Highway
(03:48):
Traffic Safety Administration tolaunch investigations into
serious crashes, including one fatal accident involving A
pedestrian. A Tesla's reliance solely on
camera based systems without radar or Lidar leaves it
particularly vulnerable to environmental challenges like
sun glare or poor visibility conditions.
(04:08):
Now just take a second and I want to say thank you to Uber.
Uber is helping us out with thisepisode.
And if you've ever thought aboutbecoming an Uber driver, if you
need a little bit of spare cash,maybe 50 bucks here and there,
you want to take somebody out todinner, you want to just save a
little bit of money on the side,do it on the weekends.
(04:28):
It's a really good way to use something that you may already
have that you're not using to its fullest potential.
I've done Uber in the past. I'm going to be honest with you
and the fact that I could make 2or $300 in a day just driving my
car around, talking to cool people, it's great.
There's a link in the show notesfor you to check that out.
(04:51):
And I want you to know I get a little tiny kickback for that.
So when you sign up and you giveyour first ride, I might make
like 5 bucks. So just so you know now, the
autonomous vehicle mirrors historical reservations about
early automated elevators. The initial discomfort typically
(05:12):
subsides quickly once passengersexperience the service full hand
though, so whether Tesla's camera only FSD system can
reliably detect hazards comparable to lighter equipped
vehicles remains A contentious question.
Is it going to miss all the obstacles that are in its way?
Will it drive around them? There's been studies on YouTube
(05:33):
channels, we've all seen them ofTesla completely failing in fog
and not so ideal conditions. So we're going to see how this
works out. Make sure to stay tuned to this
channel because if there's any news about this FSD happening in
Austin, we're going to be there.Economically, though, Tesla
urgently requires a successful new venture as financial
(05:55):
pressures mount. Last year, Tesla's sales
declined for the first time annually, accompanied by a sharp
drop in quarterly profits. The company's stock price
reflects these difficulties, having plunged 30% since a
mid-december peak, partially impacted by market reactions to
Musk's outspoken political affiliations and public
statements. And despite these ongoing
(06:16):
challenges and repeated delays, Musk continues projecting
immense optimism about the robo taxi on Tesla's value.
He claimed during an investor presentation earlier this year
robotaxis could trigger the largest asset value increase in
human history, suggesting Tesla could dominate as much as 99% of
the robotaxi market. But think about this.
(06:39):
If Tesla can nail FSD, they already have the production
facilities to make as many cars as they need.
Analysts remain skeptical about Musk's claims, though.
Gordon Johnson of GLJ Research dismisses the forthcoming June
launches More promotional than practical, Johnson argues that
Tesla's latest move amongst to merely demonstrating technical
(07:02):
capability rather than seriouslytesting commercial feasibility.
And he said that there's a possibility that Tesla will only
be able to have enough cars on the road to make it worth it in
about a year or two. Now skepticism it's broader
industry doubts surrounding Musk's repeated ambitions about
(07:25):
Tesla's performance gaps now. Smith also notes that Musk's
long record of overly optimisticforecasts undermines current
assertions. Historically, Musk has
repeatedly announced imminent breakthroughs for Tesla's
autonomous vehicle ambitions will need to postpone or revise
these timelines substantially byyears, possibly decades.
(07:48):
FSD was announced a long time ago, still isn't here
completely. Tesla did not respond to
requests from us for further comment on the impending launch.
As June 22nd approaches, Tesla'ssuccess or struggle and
delivering a mobile viable robo taxi service could decisively
impact the company's long term viability and also reshape
(08:10):
everybody's visions of Musk's credibility.
Just as future prospects hinge significantly on whether its
latest robot taxi announcement proves to be another unmet
promise or the beginning of our transformative new era for
autonomous transportation. Elon Musk is shifting his tone
(08:30):
on Donald Trump after weeks of backlash triggered a rare
internal warning from Tesla's board of directors.
Public criticism surged following Musk's prominent role
in Trump's second administration, and for the
first time in years, Tesla's leadership told Musk directly
that his political behavior was damaging the company.
Multiple people familiar with that matter said the board told
(08:51):
Musk he would need to walk back his statements about Trump and
fast or risk losing his positionat Tesla now.
The shift began in late spring, shortly after Musk stood next to
Trump at a White House press event and doubled down on the
federal layoffs driven by Doge. The Department of Government
Efficiency and Musk had personally overseen the cuts,
(09:11):
defended them publicly and celebrated his success at the
Oval Office. But inside Tesla, those moments
created a different kind of panic.
Key customers began cancelling orders.
Sentiment on investor calls turned hostile.
Tesla stock dipped sharply in the two weeks following Musk's
highest profile political appearances.
(09:33):
Board members took notice as well.
Two directors, including one whohas worked with Musk since
Tesla's earliest years, warned that public association with
Trump was becoming an existential threat to the brand.
They argued that Musk's recent political comments were
alienating core Tesla buyers, many of whom lean liberal or
identify with climate activism. When director reportedly told
(09:56):
him you can't sell clean energy cars while backing someone
tearing up the EPA. Now Tesla's internal data team
had already flagged concerning trends.
Social media sentiment analysts showed Tesla's brand approval
had dropped by double digits in key markets like California and
New York. Suburban buyers wants a stable
(10:17):
Tesla demographic. We're voicing concerns about
Musk's comments on LGBTQ rights in his dismissive tone toward
climate policy. Now Tesla's PR team, which Musk
had famously dismantled, struggled to mount any kind of
response. Privately, Elon Musk started
softening his language. At a June meeting, he was asked
(10:38):
about his role in Trump's secondterm, and for the first time, he
didn't answer with his usual bravado.
He said only that he believed inefficiency and wanted what was
best for the country. He avoided using Trump's name
entirely. The silence wasn't random.
Sources close to the board say they told him that
disassociating from Trump was non negotiable if he wanted to
(11:00):
maintain his leadership position.
The pressure came as Tesla facedother vulnerabilities.
Its market global share had begun shrinking under intense
competition from Chinese electric vehicle makers, and the
company also remained under federal investigation for safety
violations tied to Autopilot. Any appearance of political
(11:21):
favoritism risked drawing unwanted attention to those
cases, especially since Musk hadhelped dismantle the regulatory
agencies meant to oversee them. That board members also raised
concerns about brand consistencyfor years.
Test the market itself as a clean tech leader, a climate
first brand backed by innovation.
(11:41):
Musk's political rhetoric was pulling the company into a
completely different orbit. When Musk echoed Trump's anti
trans talking points and used terms like woke mind virus,
Tesla's legal and marketing teams received a wave of emails
from longtime customers threatening to cancel orders.
At the core of the board's concern was shareholder trust,
though. After Musk's purchase of
(12:03):
Twitter, Now X, many investors question whether he could
balance Tesla's needs with his growing political ventures.
The Trump alliance pushed those concerns over the edge.
Major institutional investors warned that Musk's behavior was
destabilizing the company's value.
Some quietly began trimming their Tesla holdings.
And the final breaking point came when Tesla's customer
(12:23):
satisfaction rating dropped below 70% for the first time in
the company's modern history. Internal polling attributed the
decline directly to Musk's political activity and public
persona. One director told colleagues
that our product didn't get worse, our CEO did.
And after the internal push, Musk began a slow retreat.
(12:46):
He has not publicly apologized for his role in Trump's
administration, but insiders sayhe issued a private statement to
test the board members, acknowledging that he had let
personal convictions interfere with company responsibilities.
That message wasn't released publicly but was seen as the
first step toward more visible damage control.
And the Musk's recent tweets have also reflected this change.
(13:09):
In early May, he posted praise for renewable energy initiatives
in Europe, shared a photo of Tesla solar installation in
Puerto Rico, and promoted an LGBTQ friendly hiring campaign
at a Tesla plant in Nevada. Those posts are part of what
some inside the company to describe as a coordinated effort
to rebalance his image. Still, Tesla employees remain
(13:31):
skeptical. Several said that unless Musk
offers a direct public apology or makes a clean break from
Trump, the damage may already bedone.
Others within the company fear that Musk's political ambitions
will resurface after the immediate backlash fades.
And at a June meeting, one director proposed setting up a
formal political conduct clause and Musk's executive agreement,
(13:53):
an unprecedented move at Tesla. And that proposal has not yet
been approved. But its existence signals just
how seriously the company now views the situation.
And for Elon Musk, the tension between personal freedom and
corporate leadership is becomingharder to manage.
Built Tesla on the back of a progressive consumer base and
that finds themselves at odds with much of his user base.
(14:18):
That same community that built Tesla and made him so rich, they
feel like he has turned his backon them.
And now he's on a public campaign to wash away everything
that he did with Donald Trump, all the negative things that he
said about the community, everything he said about people.
(14:40):
He's trying to wash that all away.
That's what these people think. And it's public turn toward hard
right politics alienated a segment of the market that I
made Tesla one of the most admired brands in the entire
world. Now, if Musk doesn't make a more
explicit public correction, the company may face deeper
problems. Now, we all know if you've been
(15:02):
following this, that Elon Musk had broken ties with Trump on X,
therefore he thinks that does the company well.
I'm sure the shareholders found that good and people inside the
company were impressed by that. But he also just said I may have
(15:23):
taken things too far. He didn't say he disagreed or he
is completely cutting ties with President Donald Trump.
He's just said that he may have taken his actions a little bit
too far, which if you know the policies in Tesla right now and
what they're looking to put on his executive contract in the
(15:47):
future. I think political leanings for
Elon Musk or any CEO that may bereplacing him, which isn't the
case at this point, But anybody that may be replacing Elon Musk
in the future, I think they should be held accountable for
any political damage that they do to the brand.
My own personal opinion, I thinkElon Musk went wild for a little
(16:11):
bit there on X and he's pulled back, He's apologized and for
most of the people that used to support Elon Musk, they believe
this is APR campaign. He doesn't really feel this way.
Elon Musk is just posting these things on X.
They even think the break from Donald Trump.
(16:32):
Some people think the break fromDonald Trump.
Even internal people on the board think the break from
Donald Trump or know that the break from Donald Trump is
actually just APR stunt to convince just enough people from
left-leaning policies, those kind of people to buy Teslas
(16:52):
again. The stock is dipping, the sales
are going away, and if you couldget even a small margin of those
people back by pretending to be done with Trump, because Trump,
as was stated last week by Donald Trump on True Social and
on X, that the easiest way to save money was to cut Elon
(17:16):
Musk's contracts with Tesla and SpaceX and Neuralink and all of
his companies. Donald Trump said that and then
immediately Elon Musk blew up athim and said they're going to
stop doing the Dragon spacecraft.
That's the spacecraft that sendshumans to the International
Space Station and to space. They're going to cut all of that
(17:40):
funding and stop making new versions of the Dragon.
They plan that anyway. Elon Musk and SpaceX has been
planning that for years. They were going to decommission
the older Dragon spacecrafts andjust use the new versions.
They can't get rid of the Dragonspacecraft.
(18:01):
They have contracts with NASA, they have contracts with the
government, they have private contracts that sends people to
space. They can't decommission the
whole thing right away, but theyare planning to decommission the
Dragon spacecraft when Starship comes fully online, when they
can send people to space, to lowEarth orbit and to the Moon and
(18:21):
Mars, etcetera. With Starship, they're going to
decommission that anyway. So the plan was there to
decommission it. Elon Musk's didn't state a time
frame. He said immediately, but who
knows what crafts he was talkingabout.
And this is because I have covered SpaceX for the last five
years and know the insurance andouts of the company.
(18:43):
And you know what they're what the briefing briefings are and
what has been talked about the Dragon spacecraft, the newer
versions will stick around. The older versions
decommissioned. So maybe Elon Musk was talking
about that. And maybe this was what some
people feel internally at Tesla.They feel that this was all
smoke and mirrors to get Elon's companies back on track.
(19:10):
Let me know what you think in the comments.
If you have comments on your podcast platform, I'd greatly
appreciate the community that we're building here and the
family that we're building around these new stories.
So please hit us, hit the subscribe button or the follow
button on your podcast platform right now on your app because
that really helps us out too. That's all I'm going to ask for
you. Just one second of your time to
(19:31):
hit follow. I'm going to give you 5 more
years of this podcast. I've already given you 5, I've
given you 800 plus almost 900 episodes now, something like
that, almost 1000 episodes. We're coming up on 1000 soon.
So I want to say thank you so much for being here today and
take care of yourselves. Elon Musk helped finance Donald
(19:52):
Trump's return to power with nearly $288 million in
donations. Now, less than six months later,
Musk is watching then investmentdestabilize his whole empire.
Now the alliance between the twomen began as a mutual beneficial
transaction. Musk funneled money into
Republican campaigns and super PAC's, betting on Trump's re
(20:13):
election to secure policy advantages and also business
leverage. Tesla stocks surged after
Trump's victory in November, SpaceX faced fewer regulatory
hurdles, and Musk's influence inWashington reached a new peak.
Now, after a sudden and ugly public fallout, the billionaire
is totally exposed. Trump threatened to cancel
(20:34):
federal contracts tied to Musk'scompanies.
That threat carries real consequences because Musk relies
heavily on government funding and Trump has the tools to
interfere. Now, the White House holds
discretionary control over billions in federal contracts
and tax credits. Trump reminded Musk of that
power in a statement last week, warning of very serious
(20:56):
consequences if Musk supported Democrats.
Now, Musk hasn't endorsed anyonefor 2028, but he has hinted at
starting his own third party. But the comment, according to
sources close to the administration, irritated Donald
Trump, who views political loyalty as transactional.
Musk tried to dial things down over the weekend but deleted a
(21:18):
series of attacks he posted about Trump on X.
But the damage has already been spreading across Musk's business
empire. SpaceX, Tesla all feeling it.
But Tesla lost $34 billion in market value after the feud
became public, according to Bloomberg's Billionaires Index.
The loss is the second biggest single week decline in the
(21:41):
index's history. The sell off erased months of
gains and rattled Tesla shareholders, many of whom have
grown frustrated with Musk's political distractions.
And Tesla shares are down more than 20% this year, and it's
quarterly profits fell 71% compared to the same period last
year. Analysts traced the slide to
slumping EV demand and politicalbacklash.
(22:02):
And Trump's new tax plan aims toeliminate the $7500 EV credit,
which is a move that could cost Tesla $1.2 billion in annual
revenues, according to JP Morgan.
Tesla's financial downturn comesas Musk faces mounting federal
scrutiny. The National Highway Traffic
(22:22):
Safety Administration recently asked Tesla to provide detailed
plans for its robo taxi launch, citing safety concerns.
Now, the company has several active investigations related to
its Autopilot and Full Self Driving software going on.
And these probes began under theBiden administration but also
remain ongoing under Trump. And if Trump decides to increase
(22:45):
pressure, he has tools to stall permits or ramp up regulatory
reviews. That creates more unnecessary
uncertainty for Tesla at a moment when investors are
already uneasy. Meanwhile, Elon Musk is
attempting to shift public focusback to the product side.
Tesla's preferring to unveil hisrobotaxi in Austin this week.
(23:06):
And Musk has teased this event on X, claiming the company is
now testing self driving. Model Y is in the streets.
He hopes the launch will improvesentiment around Tesla and
rebuild investor confidence, butinternal pressure is mounting.
A coalition of activist shareholders sent a letter last
week to Tesla's board chair demanding that must commit at
(23:26):
least 40 hours per week to Teslaalone, and the group accused him
of neglecting his duties while chasing political ambitions and
running unrelated businesses. Brad Lander, who overseas the
New York City public pension system, criticized Musk's recent
actions after Thursday's Tesla stock drop.
The pension fund, which holds more than 3,000,000 Tesla
(23:47):
shares, lost over $150 million in one day.
Lander, who is also running for New York City mayor, called the
feud a disaster and said Musk's political obsession has created
direct financial harm to many investors.
His comments reflect growing discontent among institutional
shareholders, who once praised Musk's risk taking but now see
(24:10):
it as erratic and also see him as a reckless individual.
And beyond Tesla, Musk's other companies face similar threats
from Donald Trump. SpaceX relies on federal
contracts to launch NASA astronauts and Pentagon
satellites. Trump's threat to cancel those
contracts sent a chill through SpaceX.
(24:30):
Officials at NASA and the Department of Defense privately
acknowledged that terminating existing SpaceX deals would be
logistically difficult. Still, they have started urging
competitors to accelerate development as a hedge.
SpaceX remains the only active U.S. company with the ability to
launch humans into space, but officials say they do not want
(24:52):
to be held hostage by 1 supplierNow.
Analyst Ross Gerber, a longtime Musk supporter turned critic,
estimates that SpaceX would losehalf its valuation if it lost
access to federal money. The company has built a
lucrative commercial business, but it's more consistent and
high paying client is still the US government.
(25:12):
Any disruption in those contracts would ripple through
Musk's entire operation from Starlink expansion to Starship
development. Gerber also warned that Musk's
current behavior is damaging relationships with regulators
and customers. He reduced his Tesla stake last
week. Suddenly that he called Musk
self-destructive leadership style.
(25:35):
And I don't know if you rememberthis, but at the beginning of
Starship development, the FAA and SpaceX were always kind of
at odds. SpaceX would be done with a part
of the mission so they could flythe actual ship, but it would
take the FAA months to regulate that one launch and they went
(25:56):
through numerous cycles of a Starship in one go from the FAA.
So if anything happens with thisadministration to slow down
Starship development, that meansthat SpaceX and NASA won't be
getting astronauts to the moon anytime soon if they delay
(26:16):
Starships. Now, let me let me back this up
a little bit. SpaceX will need to test 100
Starships before they get to themoon.
They need to be able to refuel in orbit.
They need to be able to orbit the Earth properly.
They need to be able to get a Starship to the moon, land it on
the moon, and then take off fromthe moon into lunar orbit, where
(26:39):
they will meet up with another craft and that craft will take
the astronauts back down to Earth.
Now, if they're slowed down Spacex's Lander, the lunar
Starship, the HLS contract Starship is slowed down a
development cycle. This means that SpaceX probably
won't get to the moon in the next 6-7 years, and that's not a
(27:05):
good thing. SpaceX is on flight 10, next of
Starship. The last three flights have been
a disaster. There has been explosions of the
ship for the last three ship flights.
The booster exploded last time because they were pushing it
towards its limits and they pushed it past the limits, which
was kind of expected. But the ship, they thought they
(27:26):
had everything fixed, but apparently either something else
was wrong or they didn't have the same problem fixed and the
thing exploded. So right now SpaceX is trying to
get back into the cycle of actually testing the ships in
orbit so they can eventually send it or sorry sorry to
(27:51):
orbital velocity until someday they will make Starship in
orbit, place it in orbit and they'll orbit the earth a few
times and come back down in the ocean probably.
So if they can succeed in the next few missions, I can see
that happening in the next within the next 5 missions.
They are also want to do a star link drop off in space and if
(28:15):
they get that done, that's a huge step as well because then
they can launch Starships and Starlinks at the same time, make
money from the Starlinks and also test Starships at the same
time. So when SpaceX is going to do
the next round of testing after ship, after the flight 10,
(28:35):
flight 11, flight 12, flight 13,we're expecting bigger things
from them, more kind of experimental things from them,
because right now they just haveto make it to orbital velocity
and make it back down to the Indian Ocean.
But you know, it's not just about SpaceX or Tesla must has a
hands and a lot of things, XAI and brain tech from Neuralink
(28:59):
also depend on clear pathways through highly regulated,
regulated sectors. X AI competes directly with Open
AI, Anthropic and Google DeepMind, and all of which have
relationships in Washington and teams focused on policy
compliance. All of those people in those
companies, they're kind of quiet, unlike Elon Musk who
likes to speak his mind and likes to be a free speech
(29:22):
absolutist. Of course, on X, where he can
say anything he wants without repercussions until there are
repercussions. And Neuralink, which works on
brain computer interfaces, must secure approvals from the Food
and Drug Administration and maintain trust with medical
institutions. Any perception of political
instability at the top of Musk'sempire could delay approvals or
(29:46):
dry up strategic partnerships. Now, as those sectors mature,
though, policy risks will rise because they're going to be
doing more invasive and higher tier things, so the policy risks
will not fall. And Trump's campaign aligned
closely with Musk throughout 2023 and early 2024.
(30:10):
And Trump appointed Musk to Lee Doge, which is an economic
advisory panel, and he's invitedhim to many of his events,
invited him to Mar a Lago. Tesla was featured prominently
during a March White House eventcelebrating electric vehicles.
Trump personally test drove one of the company's red model wise,
and he still has it at the WhiteHouse.
(30:30):
He says he's not getting rid of it.
The public embrace stood in stark contrast to the Biden
administration, which consistently excluded Tesla from
clean energy events. Now, the change gave Musk and
his company's rear inside track.But that track now looks far
more precarious. But it also looks like Elon and
Trump may be making up. We're going to keep you abreast
(30:53):
of that situation in the few days coming forward.
And Musk's original plan was to gain access, reduce regulation
and redirect subsidies towards his businesses.
And that that unraveled current public feud has not only raised
billions in market value for harder hard working people that
earn that money to invest in hiscompanies and invest in Elon.
(31:17):
Now this is the person that oncewalked into Washington as a
kingmaker. And now he faces potential
retaliation from the same systemthat he tried to game Elon Musk
skewed with Donald Trump. And his abrupt exit from federal
government role has not slowed down the protest campaign aimed
directly at his influence. A Protesters linked to the Tesla
(31:40):
takedown movement returned to Tesla showrooms across the
country this weekend, continuingtheir pressure campaign.
Despite Musk's withdrawal from the Department of Government
efficiency in his fallout with Trump over a massive tax and
spending proposal, the central question that keeps fueling this
campaign remains clear. Will direct action against Elon
Musk's influence affect Tesla's future and public trust and
(32:03):
billionaire backed policy now? Musk left DOGE days before
calling Trump's tax and domesticagenda a disgusting abomination.
Now, despite having donated $288,000,000 to Trump's 2024
campaign, that is now. That reversal triggered a public
confrontation with Trump threatening to cancel government
contracts with SpaceX, Tesla, and other Musk companies.
(32:26):
Now, Musk escalated the feud by claiming that Trump wouldn't
have won without him. This fight spilled into the
streets, where protesters continued targeting Musk's
economic and political entanglements.
On Saturday, organizers scheduled 60 separate
demonstrations under the Tesla takedown banner.
The campaign, launched in February during Musk's tenure at
(32:48):
DOGE, urges Tesla owners to selltheir vehicles and shareholders
to liquidate their stakes. Demonstrations happened in
cities from Florida to Kentucky to Georgia, each one demanding
public accountability and rejection of what organizers
call Musk's grip on policy and technology.
Now, a protest outside of Tesla showroom in Washington, DC's
(33:10):
Georgetown neighborhood drew about 30 participants despite
rain in competition from Pride Month events.
Organizers attributed the lower turn out to weather, noting that
the previous weekend's event in Rockville, MD, brought in about
200 people. They insisted the message still
matters even when numbers fluctuate.
Protesters claim Musk's departure from DOGE changes
(33:32):
nothing above his overall influence.
Melissa Nutsen said that Musk going home with his tail between
his legs doesn't alter their goal.
She repeated the group SCORE message.
People should sell their Teslas,divest their stock in protest
until Musk no longer holds any public power.
(33:54):
Now, they claim that opposing Musk is necessary to protect
democratic systems and public well-being.
Tesla's financial performance added momentum to this campaign,
and the company reported a 13% drop in vehicle deliveries in
Q1, which is the worst in its history.
Tesla stock fell 14% this week and remains 47% below is
(34:15):
December high. Now, these protesters have said
that seeing the stock fall boosted the morale at the
Israelis, reinforcing their belief that this kind of public
pressure is effective against Elon.
Now, Musk attributed the drop insales to weak consumer
confidence in a macroeconomic factors, but industry data shows
(34:37):
that other EV makers increased deliveries during the same
period. That contradiction strengthened
the resolve among demonstrators who blame Elon Musk's leadership
and behavior for Tesla struggles.
Organizers used Musk's departurefrom Doe's to launch another
protest push on social media. They announced that June 28th,
which is Elon Musk's birthday, they'll mark another day of
(35:00):
protests. They call the upcoming date a
recommitment and encourage people to rally even harder.
They reiterated that the movement is against the
consolidation of political and economic power in the hands of
just a few billionaires. Protesters also urged large
investment funds to drop Tesla shares.
Some cited a May letter from institutional investors to
(35:23):
Tesla's board that criticized management decisions and
corporate governance. Now these public and private
efforts from A2 pronged strategy, eternal pressure and
internal financial disruption. Now that's to reduce Elon Musk's
overall influence. Longtime protesters say they see
no reason to back down. Jean Faris, who's attended her
(35:46):
fifth Tesla protest, believes Musk's influence remains strong
even without Doge. James Deckard said the
gatherings create a sense of motivation and community among
critics who want to resist what they see as Musk's control over
public priorities. Some see the Musk Trump conflict
as irrelevant to the broader protest school.
(36:07):
Donna Powell, who has participated in up to 60 anti
Trump rallies, described Musk and Trump as quote, billionaire
brats having a tiff quote. She dismissed the idea that
Trump supporters would shift their stance to join the
protests against Musk, suggesting the president's base
remains unmoved. Now, her husband, Don Powell,
(36:30):
argued that the rivalry between Trump and Musk won't last.
They predicted that both men will eventually reconcile
because their interests align. Protesters on the ground believe
that the underlying structures keeping people like Musk in
positions of power have not changed, even as political
alliances will shift. Some people think that the rift
(36:53):
between Elon Musk and President Donald Trump is simply a
distraction from something that's going on deeper in the
government. Is there something that they're
hiding? We don't really know, but that's
what some protesters believe. Maybe there's something going on
with DOGE that we shouldn't knowabout now.
Musk has not responded to inquiries about the protests or
(37:15):
his exit from DOGE from this podcast.
Neither has Tesla nor early Tesla takedown organizers now.
That silence has not stopped themovement, though.
Organizers say they are already planning the next round of
demonstrations and encourage supporters to take more
aggressive action before the next corporate earnings report.
(37:35):
Will you be there at the protests?
Let me know what you think. If your podcast platform has
comments, I want to hear it. Let's have a discussion about
this. Want to know what you think
about Elon Musk and if you have soured on the idea of Elon Musk,
That's a great conversation to have.
I know a lot of people have in my circle, and some people,
(37:56):
they're completely behind the guy.
So let me know what you think inthe comments on whatever podcast
platform you're on right now. Now the Tesla takedown protests
continue despite leadership changes and political infighting
because organizers believe that Musk's influence still poses the
huge direct threat to democraticpolicy and also market
(38:21):
integrity. What will happen at the next
Musk protest on his birthday? Will it be peaceful?
Will there be Tesla showrooms caught on fire again?
Just have to wait and find out. June 28th, Musk's birthday.
Also on your podcast platform right now, I want you to take a
(38:42):
second and hit the subscribe or follow button.
And also, if you have a like button, that'd be great.
And also, if you've been listening for a long time and
you haven't given us a review, I'd really appreciate it if you
reviewed the podcast. Give us a good review.
You know, if you like the show, give us a good review.
I'd really appreciate it. We really need that right now.
(39:02):
The president of the United States has just threatened a
private citizen. Donald Trump told Elon Musk to
expect very serious consequencesif he funds political candidates
that Trump poses. Now, this threat didn't come
through a leak or some sort of back channel message.
It came directly from the president himself during a phone
(39:25):
interview with NB CS Kristen Welker.
Now, that message followed a series of public jabs between
the two men revealing a larger question.
What happens when the President Donald Trump threatens to
retaliate against a private citizen for political donations?
Trump's threat wasn't vague, though.
In a Thursday post, he suggestedcutting off federal contracts
(39:46):
and subsidies to Musk's companies as a budget saving
measure. That post followed Musk's public
criticism of the GOP's latest budget legislation and his call
to vote out incumbents in 2026. Elon also followed the idea of
launching a new political party to represent the 80% in the
middle. Trump responded within days,
warning that if Musk backs Democratic candidates in the
(40:08):
midterms, he'll suffer unspecified consequences now.
The president didn't explain what those would be, but
insisted they'd be very serious.Now, Musk donated at least
$288,000,000 to support Trump and other Republicans during the
2024 election cycle, according to campaign finance reports that
some made him the most influential financial backer in
(40:31):
GOP circles last year. Now his abrupt threat to
redirect support away from the party or possibly fund third
party or Democratic candidates has triggered Donald Trump's
escalated warnings. Now, the message that Donald
Trump is sending is that loyaltyis transactional, and switching
sides comes with penalties. Trump's tactics have created
(40:54):
unease even among some of his political allies.
Federal subsidies have played a major role in sustaining Musk's
companies. SpaceX receives billions through
NASA contracts, and Tesla benefits from energy credits and
tax incentives tied to its EVs. Now, cutting those off would
have tangible effects on operations, investors and jobs.
(41:16):
The threat was targeted directlyto Elon Musk and his finances
and his businesses. In a private discussions with
donors, Trump has emphasized hispreference for transactional
politics. Sources familiar with the
situation say that Trump views financial loyalty as a
cornerstone of his political machine.
That makes Musk's dissent unusually dangerous, in Trump's
(41:40):
view. Musk, who once boasted of being
a free speech absolutist, has found herself caught between
asserting political independenceand preserving access to
government resources for him andalso his companies.
Now the dynamic matters to everybody.
Beyond personal grudges. Tech, CE, OS and federal
(42:00):
officials are always navigating a new era of policy influence
right now, where access and funding increasingly depend on
personal relationships rather than traditional lobbying or
merit. It looks like handshake deals
are happening throughout Trump'sadministration.
Musk had enjoyed a period of influence under Trump, including
friendly meetings and favorable public comments staying at
(42:23):
Trump's estates. Now that influence is completely
gone. It's evaporated.
Other tech leaders see this as an opportunity to fill the void,
though. Executives of companies like
Palantir and Andrill, both heavily defense focused, see a
pathway to gain favor with the administration.
Industry sources say these firmsare already increasing the
(42:43):
federal lobbying efforts, givingmore and more money, and
positioning themselves as alternative to Elon Musk.
Now. Mehta's leadership has also
shifted its political tone, aligning more closely with
Trump's rhetoric in recent months.
Musk's misstep could create roomfor new favourites of Trump to
emerge now. Musk, standing at Silicon
Valley, had already begun to erode due to his erratic
(43:06):
published statements and inconsistent business focuses
recently. And while respected for
engineering successes and managing Tesla and SpaceX, he's
frustrated partners and investors with unpredictable
behavior and unkept promises. And losing Trump's favor could
further isolate him, especially if his corporate empire becomes
the target of scrutiny for Trump's administration.
(43:29):
One consequence of this view is the potential change in US space
policy. SpaceX currently dominates
government satellite launches and space logistics, and federal
agencies begin to shift contracts toward Blue Origin.
Who's Jeff Bezos? His space venture.
He could benefit handsomely. Sources familiar with NASA's
current contract review process say the agency exploring ways to
(43:51):
diversify launch providers and light of political risk
associated with single vendor dependency, such as SpaceX, now
open AI, who of course Elon has been warring with for a while.
Sam Altman stands to benefit from the political fallout as
well. Although Altman has his own
ongoing feud with Elon Musk, he has navigated the post election
(44:12):
power structure with more discretion.
He repurposed a large scale datacenter initiative as a federal
infrastructure project and secured a White House photo op
shortly after Trump's inauguration.
His strategy earned him credibility inside the
administration without attracting Musk style
controversy. Now, the silence from other tech
(44:33):
leaders speaks volumes. Here, most prefer to avoid
choosing sides in the political feud that could affect federal
contracts and our trust actions or export licenses.
Many executives are quietly hopeful the Musk's departure
from Trump's inner circle will ease policy negotiations and
create a more predictable business environment for their
companies. Now the administration's
(44:55):
treatment of Musk reveals how Trump views power and loyalty,
sees wealth and influence as useful tools when they serve his
political goals, and his liabilities when they don't
serve him anymore. Musk helped fuel the Republican
campaign in 2024, but in 2026, that might not be enough to
shield him from Donald Trump's retribution.
(45:19):
Trump's message is very blunt. You can fund the opposition, but
it will cost you. What happens when the personal
feud between AUS president and the world's most powerful
private space executive threatens the stability of
American space infrastructure? That question now looms over the
(45:40):
relationship between Donald Trump and Elon Musk.
Tensions escalated after Trump publicly criticized Musk,
calling him a disappointment despite claiming he had helped
him significantly. Musk responded by threatening to
pull Spacex's Dragon spacecraft from NASA service, an abrupt
move that could have impacted core US space missions.
(46:01):
Even though Musk walked back thethreat within hours, the damage
had already been done. Both NASA and the White House
now face new uncertainty over one of their most vital private
sector partnerships. SpaceX is not just a contractor
for NASA, it is the only companycurrently transporting
astronauts to and from the International Space Station
using US based infrastructure. The Dragon spacecraft has become
(46:25):
essential to America's human spaceflight capability.
Since the retirement of the space shuttle, NASA has relied
on Spacex's vehicles to carry USand Allied astronauts into low
Earth orbit. No other American company offers
this service at the same frequency, reliability and cost.
Pulling Dragon out of the lineup, even temporarily, would
(46:46):
leave a major gap in crew transport capabilities.
After years of using a monopoly provider, United Launch
Alliance, a Boeing and Lockheed Martin merger, NASA opened up
competition to reduce costs and attract innovation.
SpaceX quickly underbid its rivals by reducing launch and
spacecraft development costs. The Dragon capsule alone came in
under budget, falling from initial billion dollar estimates
(47:09):
to hundreds of millions. That allowed NASA to shift to a
pay for service model, outsourcing missions to private
companies rather than managing the entire stack internally.
Over time, NASA funneled more money into SpaceX projects.
Since 2008, U.S. government agencies have awarded SpaceX
over $20 billion in contracts. Of that, NASA accounts for more
(47:32):
than $15 billion, including $2.9billion for developing a human
landing system for the Artemis moon missions and another $4.9
billion for ferrying astronauts to and from the ISS.
The financial arrangement is mutually beneficial.
Musk recently stated that SpaceXwill generate $1.1 billion in
(47:53):
revenue from NASA this year alone.
SpaceX has also stepped in when other government contractors
failed. Last year, NASA selected SpaceX
to retrieve 2 stranded astronauts from the ISS after
Boeing's Starliner capsule encountered delays and technical
issues. The decision signaled more than
just confidence in SpaceX. It reinforced NASA's practical
(48:15):
reliance on Musk's company to keep key missions operational.
That kind of trust doesn't emerge overnight.
It reflects years of successful launches and dependable delivery
on complex missions. Spacex's role extends far beyond
human spaceflight. The company is conducting more
launches per year than any otherprivate or government player.
In the last 12 months, SpaceX launched nearly twice as many
(48:37):
missions as the next three most active launch providers
combined. Those missions support
commercial satellite clients, internal Starlink deployments
and military payloads. The volume of flights ensures
SpaceX dominates launch cadence,giving it logistical leverage
unmatched by competitors. The Starlink satellite Internet
network adds a second layer of strategic value.
(48:59):
Starlink connects everything from remote government sites to
active military zones. One of its most visible uses has
been in Ukraine, where defense officials have relied on
Starlink to maintain communications amid Russian
attacks on infrastructure. That application turned Starlink
into a high interest asset for the Pentagon and other NATO
partners. Beyond defense consulting firm
(49:20):
Quilty Space projects that Starlink will generate $12.3
billion in revenue for SpaceX this year, making it a financial
cornerstone that doesn't depend on federal budgets.
Spacex's footprint across federal agencies keeps
expanding. The company is integrated into
planning for future Department of Defense missions with a $6
billion contract awarded in April 2025 for satellite
(49:43):
launches. NASA also selected SpaceX to
deorbit the ISS at the end of its operational life in 20-30.
Meanwhile, the Trump administration considered a
SpaceX proposal for a missile defense system nicknamed Golden
Dome, which would combine groundbased interceptors with
satellite capabilities. The proposal hasn't been
finalized, but national securityofficials believe SpaceX is a
(50:06):
likely partner because of its unmatched launch capacity and
ongoing development of Starship,a heavy lift vehicle built for
large scale missions. The idea of Musk pulling SpaceX
out of U.S. government work overpolitical tensions isn't just
unlikely, it would also run counter to his business goals.
SpaceX is deeply embedded in thearchitectures of future American
(50:26):
space exploration and defense operations.
Unwinding that integration woulddisrupt multiple long term
projects including Mars related missions, commercial lunar
contracts, and military communications satellites.
Musk continues to promote a longterm goal of making humanity a
multi planetary species, which aligns with Spacex's deep
government ties. NASA officials believe a total
(50:49):
severing of ties is improbable. While increasing competition
remains a long term objective, few companies are positioned to
compete with SpaceX on price, speed, and scale.
Even Musk acknowledges the need for rivals, but those rivals
will take years to match his lead.
Until then, NASA and the Department of Defense will
(51:11):
continue relying on SpaceX for the missions they cannot yet
outsource to others. A NASA spokesperson stated that
the agency will continue fulfilling the president's
objectives in space by partnering with private
industry, including SpaceX. That statement affirms that
despite any political friction, the agency sees no short term
alternatives to its collaboration with Musk's
(51:32):
company.
Popular Podcasts
Las Culturistas with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang
Ding dong! Join your culture consultants, Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang, on an unforgettable journey into the beating heart of CULTURE. Alongside sizzling special guests, they GET INTO the hottest pop-culture moments of the day and the formative cultural experiences that turned them into Culturistas. Produced by the Big Money Players Network and iHeartRadio.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
24/7 News: The Latest
The latest news in 4 minutes updated every hour, every day.