Elon Musk Knows That Brands Rise and Fall, Even Tesla, and When One Considers the Scale and Importance of What He’s Accomplished, the Fate of the Car Company, Honestly, Feels Like a Footnote

During our examination this week into Elon Musk, and how his political actions are impacting Tesla’s success, most of the journalists and EV experts we spoke to offered a pretty negative view of Mr. Musk and what he’s been doing to slash spending and uncover fraud in the federal government. We must tip our hat to Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield of Transportation Evolved for capturing the feelings of the anti-Musk crowd best in our recent story on the topic. 

However, not all of the experts we spoke with see the situation in the same light. One who stepped back and gave us a 60,000-foot view, unlike most others, was Karl Brauer. We know Karl from iSeeCars, where he is the Executive Analyst. Karl also appears on TV news programs and as a commentator on many automotive topics outside of iSeeCars. We decided to form a Q&A with Karl, so that his viewpoint could be given fair time.

TN -  Thank you for joining us, Karl. Can you please tell us your thoughts on whether Mr. Musk’s actions are drawing away big numbers of Tesla customers?
KB - There’s a widespread assumption that Elon is losing customers due to his alignment with Trump and the conservative movement over the past couple of years. What many people seem to ignore is that Elon is gaining quite a following through these movements. 

TN - That is an interesting angle we have not considered. Can you elaborate on this?
KB - He was increasingly famous and loved by various groups over his first 20 years at Tesla’s helm while being largely ignored by other segments of society. Now, the segments that previously had no use for Elon are highly aware of, and generally in favor of, his latest actions in the political arena. The result? He’s more famous and controversial than ever. I think Elon relishes that position, making it a huge win in his mind.

TN - Why do you think Elon Musk has assumed this new political role?
KB - Elon sees the very real potential for America’s downfall at the hands of fiscal…well…irresponsibility doesn’t really cover it. Let’s call it fiscal lunacy and corruption on a galactic scale — fitting given Elon's space travel aspirations.

TN - What do you think are his motivations and end goals?
KB - Elon Musk is the wealthiest man on the planet, which means he’s already conquered the business world and set himself up financially for a couple hundred lifetimes. He’s also changed one of the largest, most influential industries in the history of humankind — cars — and he’s rapidly moving into what could be the next more influential industry in the future of humankind — space travel. So, if you’re Elon Musk, with that track record, what could possibly be interesting enough to take up your valuable time? How about changing the very face of human politics and bringing about a — hopefully — non-violent revolution in human society? Again, this is the wealthiest man on the planet, which means he knows a thing or three about making and managing money. And he’s been dealing with government agencies for most of his very successful professional career, so he knows a thing or three about bureaucracy and government waste. Is there a better person to dig into the exploding U.S. debt that could end the greatest democracy in the history of man? Maybe, but I can’t think who that is, and I would be open to suggestions. In the meantime.

TN - Do you think Mr. Musk views EVs or fixing the government as more important?
KB - When one considers the scale of what Elon has accomplished and is now trying to accomplish, the fate of Tesla the car company, honestly, feels like a footnote. Elon knows electric vehicle brands will rise and fall, including Tesla. And with China cornering the market on EV production, he’s at a cost disadvantage he’ll likely never overcome. This is not to say Tesla is doomed to fail, only that — even if it did — Elon would have plenty of money and plenty to do. And all of it would be more interesting than selling electric cars.

TN - What's your final word on Mr. Musk’s political role?
KB - Go Elon Go!!

Our thanks to Karl Brauer for taking the time to offer his thoughts on the state of Tesla and Elon Musk’s leadership. You can find more content from Mr. Brauer on his YouTube page.

Do you think that Elon Musk is putting DOGE ahead of Tesla right now?

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John Goreham is a credentialed New England Motor Press Association member and expert vehicle tester. John completed an engineering program with a focus on electric vehicles, followed by two decades of work in high-tech, biopharma, and the automotive supply chain before becoming a news contributor. He is a member of the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE int). In addition to his eleven years of work at Torque News, John has published thousands of articles and reviews at American news outlets. He is known for offering unfiltered opinions on vehicle topics. You can connect with John on Linkedin and follow his work on his personal X channel or on our X channel. Please note that stories carrying John's by-line are never AI-generated, but he does employ grammar and punctuation software when proofreading and he also uses image generation tools. 

Image of Elon Musk giving high five courtesy of Tesla, Inc.