Elon Musk Talks Tesla, Politics and Putin Relationship (Full Interview)

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Elon Musk said he’s committed to still leading Tesla Inc. five years from now and expects to pare back his political spending, assuaging some investors’ concerns about the future of his most valuable company. The billionaire offered new details about his plans in a wide-ranging interview with Bloomberg News that also touched on his compensation, Tesla’s sliding sales and a possible spinoff of SpaceX’s Starlink satellite business. Musk repeated his criticisms of a familiar cast of characters, from Bill Gates to the Delaware judge who’s twice ruled against his massive Tesla pay package. Musk, whose $375.5 billion fortune leads the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, reiterated that he wants to own more shares of Tesla for reasons of authority, rather than wealth. “It’s not a money thing,” he said during a remote appearance Tuesday at the Qatar Economic Forum in Doha. “It’s a reasonable control thing, over the future of the company.” Musk has been chief executive officer of Tesla since 2008, one of the longest active stints atop the world’s largest automakers. His level of engagement with the company has come under greater scrutiny as the carmaker has followed up its first annual sales drop in over a decade with steeper declines early this year. Tesla shares jumped after Musk’s comments about his commitment to staying CEO, trading up as much as 3.6% before paring gains. The stock has declined 14% this year. Musk, 53, downplayed the extent of Tesla’s challenges, saying that “it’s already turned around.” When pressed about this — the carmaker’s vehicle sales continued to plunge across Europe’s biggest electric vehicle markets in April — the CEO said that the region is the company’s weakest, but that it’s strong elsewhere. “Our sales are doing well at this point,” he said. “We don’t anticipate any meaningful sales shortfall.” Brand Damage Musk disputed the extent to which he’s damaged Tesla’s brand, saying that while the company may be losing some sales among consumers on the political left, it’s gained others on the right. He criticized protesters he said have committed “massive violence” against his companies. “They’re on the wrong side of history, and that’s an evil thing to do,” he said, referring to people damaging Tesla cars and showrooms. “Something needs to be done about them, and a number of them are going to prison, and they deserve it.” President Donald Trump has rallied to Musk and Tesla’s defense, including by showcasing the company’s cars just outside the White House in March. The Federal Bureau of Investigation later formed a task force to coordinate investigations into vandalism and arson incidents at Tesla stores and charging stations, and Attorney General Pam Bondi announced charges against individuals accused of setting the company’s property ablaze with Molotov cocktails. State of SpaceX Musk’s SpaceX has been relatively resilient during Trump’s second term. Governments around the globe have been opening up to Starlink, the closely held company’s satellite internet service, since its founder spent more than a quarter of a billion dollars to help Trump retake the presidency. Read More: South Africa to Offer Musk Starlink Deal Before Trump Meet Musk said that while it’s possible Starlink may go public at some point in the future, he’s in no rush. Although listing the company could be a way to make more money, he said it would be at the expense of additional overhead and “very annoying” lawsuits. “Something needs to be done about the shareholder derivative lawsuits in the US,” Musk said, adding that law firms are seeking out “a puppet plaintiff with a few shares” to initiate litigation against companies. Election Spending When the conversation turned to elections — including the upcoming US midterms in 2026 — Musk said he thinks he’ll spend “a lot less” on politics in the future. “I think I’ve done enough,” he said. Asked if this is because of the blowback he’s been getting, Musk demurred. “If I see a reason to do political spending in the future, I will do it,” he said. “I do not currently see a reason.” -------- Watch Bloomberg Radio LIVE on YouTube Weekdays 7am-6pm ET WATCH HERE: http://bit.ly/3vTiACF Follow us on X: https://twitter.com/BloombergRadio Subscribe to our Podcasts: Bloomberg Daybreak: http://bit.ly/3DWYoAN Bloomberg Surveillance: http://bit.ly/3OPtReI Bloomberg Intelligence: http://bit.ly/3YrBfOi Balance of Power: http://bit.ly/3OO8eLC Bloomberg Businessweek: http://bit.ly/3IPl60i Listen on Apple CarPlay and Android Auto with the Bloomberg Business app: Apple CarPlay: https://apple.co/486mghI Android Auto: https://bit.ly/49benZy Visit our YouTube channels: Bloomberg Podcasts: https://www.youtube.com/bloombergpodcasts Bloomberg Television: https://www.youtube.com/@markets Bloomberg Originals: https://www.youtube.com/bloomberg Quicktake: https://www.youtube.com/@BloombergQuicktake