Elon Musk made Tesla a household name. Now his presence is tanking the company

Musk’s radical political turn isn’t the biggest problem. Years of design and technology stagnation have led to this troubled moment for the automaker.

Tesla has reached a potentially lethal moment in its history, and it isn’t solely due to CEO Elon Musk’s political radicalization. Years of design and technology stagnation have led to a languishing model line and outdated technology. Back in 2023, I wrote that the beleaguered carmaker should aspire to survive and become yet another car manufacturer. Now that objective feels more pressing—and distant—than ever.