Is Tesla going into meltdown?

Tesla’s boardroom has reportedly shifted into high gear — and not in the direction their CEO would like. Executives have allegedly launched a cloak-and-dagger hunt for Elon Musk’s replacement at the top of the electric car giant. And the billionaire boss isn’t taking it quietly.

According to The Wall Street Journal, Tesla secretly contacted headhunting firms about a month ago in a move that sparked panic in Planet Musk. The search for a successor reportedly began as Musk’s public reputation took a nosedive — dragged down by his controversial government role under Donald Trump and his recent political flirtations in Europe.

Tesla’s top brass have been forced into damage control mode after an eyebrow-raising report from The Wall Street Journal claimed the board was shopping around for Musk’s replacement. The reason? His eyebrow-raising bromance with Donald Trump and a tanking Tesla stock price.

But just as the electric storm began to fry the circuits, the company screeched out a sharp denial.

“Absolutely false,” barked Tesla chair Robyn Denholm on X. “The CEO of Tesla is Elon Musk and the board is highly confident in his ability to continue executing on the exciting growth plan ahead.”

And Elon? He went into DEFCON CAPS LOCK, unleashing fury on his social media platform X:

“It is an EXTREMELY BAD BREACH OF ETHICS that the WSJ would publish a DELIBERATELY FALSE ARTICLE and fail to include an unequivocal denial beforehand by the Tesla board of directors!”

He even reposted a comment calling the Journal “trash.” Ouch.

DOGE gone rogue?

At the heart of the controversy is Musk’s side hustle as head of Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency — also known, cheekily, as DOGE. Musk has been leading a government purge of jaw-dropping scale, axing tens of thousands of federal workers in the name of ‘efficiency’. The backlash? Tesla showrooms trashed, charging stations vandalised, and brand loyalty nosediving faster than a Cybertruck in freefall.

Critics say Musk’s controversial politics have poisoned the Tesla brand. Protesters have boycotted, marched, and even smashed up dealerships — from California to Cologne. Even former die-hard fans are ditching their Teslas and openly protesting against the brand on social media channels.

Trump in the driving seat?

Meanwhile, back in Washington, Trump isn’t backing off. He told reporters in March — with Musk beaming beside him on the White House lawn — that anyone caught vandalising Tesla property would “go through hell.”

He then promised to buy a cherry-red Model S from the line-up parked outside, declaring his loyalty to the brand. The scene looked more like a campaign ad than a press event — and sparked even more outrage among Musk detractors.

Trump added that Musk could stay in his government role “as long as I could keep him,” despite the legal limit of 130 working days for temporary federal appointments, which Musk is set to hit by late May.

Tesla boardroom panic or business as usual?

According to the WSJ, Tesla’s board grew increasingly alarmed at Musk’s distraction from the company and asked him to publicly recommit. He didn’t argue, apparently. And in an earnings call last week, Musk played ball, pledging to “allocate far more of my time to Tesla” and significantly scale back his DOGE duties.

Still, the damage may already be done. Tesla’s share price is in the gutter, Musk’s net worth has taken a wallop, and protests are piling up like charging cables at a motorway services.

So is he staying or going?

Tesla says no one’s replacing him. Musk says it’s fake news. Trump says he’s welcome to stay. Investors say… maybe time to look under the bonnet?

One thing’s for sure — when Musk is involved, there’s no such thing as a quiet week.

Verdict: He’s the world’s richest man, the poster boy for EVs, and now the lightning rod for a political firestorm. Whether Musk can steer Tesla out of this PR pothole remains to be seen — but buckle up. The road ahead looks bumpy.

Get more US news.

Get more European news.