The feud between Donald Trump and Elon musk was not announced via a press release or a public spat.
The Trump-Musk relationship was never just personal. It represented a broader phenomenon the collision of big tech and populist politics.
This came the same way as so many symbolic political moments do, through a grand gesture like President Trump’s threat to sell his bright red Tesla Model S.
A car he Barely used and just purchased just months ago in a highly publicized show of support for Musk, the car’s symbolic value was always more important than its horsepower.
But Musk’s vocal opposition to government subsidies and demands for sweeping spending cuts including those that threatened Trump’s flagship infrastructure program seem to have shattered that alliance.
What's in For Tesla,
the implications are bigger than a political falling-out. Trump's support helped stabilize Tesla's optics among conservative voters and investors. Losing it threatens not just public goodwill but also the fragile policy ecosystem needed for Tesla’s next moonshot (autonomous taxis).
Although Tesla still has vision which is a world where its self-driving cars “Cybercab” would reshape urban transport. Competitors like Waymo and Cruise.
But Chinese competitors are still existing and now Tesla are stripped of White House favor, Tesla's path is even steeper than ever
What Lies Ahead for Tesla? Without political cover, Tesla will need to do what it claims to do best: innovate.