Tesla sales fell by 9 percent in 2025, its second yearly decline

CEO politics, ideology, and boycotts

• Many commenters say they avoid Tesla because of the CEO’s explicit far‑right politics, white‑nationalist signaling, and active role in US politics.
• Several distinguish private bad beliefs from publicly campaigning to “dismantle the country” and remove rights; public extremism is seen as both morally worse and commercially damaging.
• Others argue most CEOs probably have awful private views, but they at least keep them hidden; that makes them easier to tolerate as customers.
• Some note that openly sharing polarizing views shows poor judgment and raises doubts about product decisions and risk management.

Impact on demand and market position

• Many believe the political pivot alienated Tesla’s original base: upper‑middle‑class liberals in major metros. Some say sales to that demographic are now “approximately zero.”
• Data points cited: steep declines in Europe (e.g., –71% Sweden, –66% France while EVs overall grew ~35%), and a US comparison showing Tesla –8.9% vs most big automakers growing.
• Outside the US, EV demand is said to be healthy, but Tesla is losing share to Chinese makers such as BYD and has dropped out of the top tier in China.
• Commenters say Tesla’s lineup is aging, Cybertruck is a flop relative to expectations, and there’s no new mass‑market model to counter strong midrange competitors.

Self‑driving, AI, and robotics story

• Several call FSD and the robotics pivot “boondoggles” or “fraud,” noting no Tesla robotaxis in paid driverless service anywhere, and many other firms with comparable or better tech.
• Others argue Tesla’s bet—replacing hand‑coded logic with learned models—could scale better than Boston Dynamics–style control systems, and that Optimus or factory robots might still be massive if they work.
• Skeptics see no moat: many companies have good Level 3 systems, numerous humanoid robot demos exist, and cheaper competitors could erase margins.

Product quality, safety, and ownership experience

• Mixed owner reports: some say their Teslas have been the best cars they’ve owned and praise OTA updates and home charging convenience; others report reliability issues, poor warranty support, and regret FSD purchases that are now on obsolete hardware.
• Door design and emergency egress draw heated criticism; at least one linked report ties nonfunctional electronic doors in fires to multiple deaths, leading to a long sub‑thread on added failure modes.
• Resale values are described as “trash,” and some owners worry about low insurance payouts if cars are totaled.

Valuation, governance, and future strategy

• Many see Tesla as a meme stock with an irrational P/E, sustained by a cult of personality. Several say the stock price depends on the CEO’s hype; replacing him might help the company but crash the stock.
• Concerns are raised about the CEO diverting Tesla data and compute to his other AI company without arm’s‑length terms.
• Some suggest pivoting more seriously into batteries and grid storage, but others note Tesla’s battery tech is largely outsourced and faces stronger incumbents.