It is a bad look for Tesla (TSLA) when every time you look at a TV and you see Tesla products either getting slyly keyed or engulfed in flames.
That is the type of figure Elon Musk to American society.
Through one lens – he could be considered one of the greatest technologists of all time.
Through another lens – he could be considered a man preventing the flow of Democratic party funding to its NGOs and other party apparatus entities.
Either way – this guy is going to be controversial and his stock has suffered immensely in the short-term.
That being said, one of the richest venture capitalists in the world Peter Thiel who is a remarkable man himself said to never bet against Elon. He might even dislike Musk as well.
Those words are hard to forget as Musk held an impromptu company all-hands meeting on Thursday night, giving an update on the progress of a number of products while also attempting to assuage fears that the CEO is ignoring his post.
Tesla stock has been in free fall since the start of the year, with sales slipping in key regions like Europe and China and even in the US. The changeover to the new Model Y SUV has been seen as a drag on sales.
Overall, Musk maintained that the news was "good" for Tesla and urged employees and others to hold onto their Tesla stock because, in his eyes, the future is bright.
The bet on robo-taxis and autonomous driving is one of the key catalysts for Tesla's future growth, and Musk again laid out his audacious vision.
Key to the company's autonomous vision is the Cybercab robo-taxi, slated for production in 2026. Musk said the factory was already beginning preparations for production using its "unboxed" assembly technique, which would resemble a "high-speed consumer electronics line," rather than an automotive production line.
Speaking of future product production, Musk said Tesla built the "first Optimus at the Optimus production line in Fremont," adding that the humanoid robot would be available for sale in 2026, initially to Tesla employees, after internal company use.
Turning back to the here and now, Musk predicted the Tesla Model Y — the company's most important current product — would once again be the top-selling car in the world following its new update.
To me, it is clear that Musk went the political route because he sensed his robo-taxi and Optimus robot projects were about to be drowned out by bureaucracy.
He probably understands more than anyone that America has become overregulated and it is hard to get stuff done, even if it is a lot more efficient than a place like Europe.
Being in agreement with the current administration has to boost his humanoid robot and robo-taxi project by at least 75% and I wouldn’t be surprised he is attempting to get as much regulatory approval in the next 4 years.
These two projects are what will quadruple the stock in the next 5 or 10 years. He knows that investors know that, and he is doing everything in his power to force the impossible to become possible.
Perhaps Peter Thiel will say that is something Elon Musk would and can achieve.
