A few moments ago, on Friday 21 March 2025, at 9:58 pm PDT, Elon Musk, the Tesla CEO who acted as a forerunner, responded with tones on the growing pressure of the investors who asked for his immediate resignation. The billionaire entrepreneur, driving from Tesla since 2008, has been going through one of the most turbulent periods of his mandate, while the electric car giant is struggling with the drop in the actions price, the widespread boycott and the growing discontent for his political involvement. In a concise but explosive declaration of 8 words, Musk responded directly to requests, triggering a shock in the world of finance and technology.

The declaration, released tonight during a meeting of the staff broadcast live streaming with Tesla employees, was a direct refutation to the opinions of investors such as Ross Gerber, a longtime shareholder of Tesla and one of the first supporters of the company. Gerber, who openly expressed his concerns, publicly asked for Musk’s resignation on March 19, citing a 53% drop in the Tesla actions price from the peak reached in mid -December 2024. Gerber, whose company Gerber Kawasaki Wealth & Investment Management holds about 262,000 Tesla shares, accused Musk of having damaged the reputation of the company through its divisive political actions, in particular, in particular His role in the Department for Government Efficiency (Doge) of the Trump Administration. In an interview with Sky News, Gerber said that Tesla’s sales collapsed because Musk’s leadership has become “so divided” that consumers are moving away from the brand despite its best products.

Musk’s involvement in the doge, a controversial initiative aimed at drastically cut federal expenditure, caused strong negative reactions. Since President Donald Trump came into office on January 20, 2025, Musk has led the efforts to eliminate the perceived government waste, including the closure of entire federal agencies. This led to protests in the United States and Europe, with activists who targeted showrooms and Tesla vehicles. In New York City, on March 14, more than 250 demonstrators gathered out of a Tesla showroom, keeping signs with the word “Musk must leave” and “blocked fascism now”. According to what was reported, since Trump came in office, more than a dozen vandal acts against the properties of Tesla have occurred, pushing Trump to label these actions as “internal terrorism” and even to buy a Tesla to support the cause.

The financial consequences for Tesla are serious. The shares of the company, which had reached the peak of almost $ 480 per action in mid -December 2024, collapsed today at around $ 248.71, with a stunning drop of 48%. This represents a market value loss of over 800 billion dollars and makes Tesla one of the titles with the worst performances in the S&P 500 index this year. Analysts attribute this drop to a combination of factors: Musk’s political controversies, the growing competition of Chinese car manufacturers and the general economic uncertainty caused by Trump’s commercial policies, including the new duties on goods from Canada, Mexico and China, the main suppliers of Tesla.

In response to the protests of the investors, Musk’s eight words have been more direct than ever: “I don’t leave, Tesla will be ranging”. The declaration issued during the General Assembly was accepted by a mixture of laughter and applause by employees, but did not serve to dissipate the concerns of investors. Musk then faced the recent wave of vandalism against Tesla properties, urging critics to “stop being so crazy” and expressing frustration for what he perceives as a coordinated movement of “Tesla’s demolition”. He underlined the potential future of Tesla, in particular in the robotaxi and humanoid roboti markets, and praised the next Cybercab and Optimus robots, calling them revolutionary. “It is very difficult for those who invest in the stock exchange imagining a future in which a fleet of 10 million vehicles is five to ten times more useful,” said Musk, referring to his vision of autonomous vehicles, for some time promised.

Musk’s optimism, however, is in clear contrast with the sad reality of Tesla. Sales decreased significantly, 45% in Europe in January 2025, despite the overall growth of the electric vehicle market. In the United States, in 2024 Tesla recorded the first decline in sales in over a decade (-1.1%). The Edmunds national car bag discovered this week that Tesla owners are selling their vehicles at record prices, which could flood the used car market and further drop the prices. At the same time, competitors like Alphabet Waymo are expanding their driver -free racing services, representing a direct threat to Tesla’s ambitions in the field of autonomous vehicles.

Musk’s resignation requests are not new, but they have intensified in recent weeks. Gerber’s requests reflect the opinions of other investors, such as Christopher Tsai, who told the Guardian that Musk’s political involvement was causing a “unfavorable” reaction of the market. Some Tesla shareholders also ask for Musk’s dismissal on platforms such as the Tesla Investor Club on Reddit, citing its controversial activities (manage Tesla, Spacex, X and now Doge) and its controversial activities on social media. Critics claim that Musk’s behavior, including his “Roman” greeting and provocative posts, has alienated a significant part of Tesla clientele, in particular in liberal markets.

Despite the pressure, Musk remains provocative. It has about 12.8% of the Tesla shares and therefore have a considerable influence, even if it does not hold a majority share. To remove it from the role of CEO, a decision by the Tesla Board of Directors would be necessary or a vote of the shareholders. Both situations are made more difficult by the consolidated position of Musk and by the historical ties of the Board of Directors with him. Tesla’s CEO Robyn Denholm has been criticized for her alleged lack of independence. Some investors doubt his ability to brake Musk after he collected over 532 million dollars in Tesla shares.

While the controversy is unleashed, Tesla’s future is at stake. Although Musk remains faithful to his vision, the growing restlessness between investors and consumers suggests that his leadership could represent more an obstacle than an advantage in the current climate. It remains to be seen if Tesla will be able to overcome this storm and to regain its position as a market leader in electric vehicles. But Musk’s eight words did nothing but feed an ardent fire.