Tesla lost sales on the left, gained on the right and has turned around: Elon Musk

Billionaire Elon Musk asserted that Tesla has bounced back from the blowback it faced in recent months and said demand for electric vehicles is healthy.

In an interview with Bloomberg at the Qatar Economic Forum, Musk said the stock market is aware of the company's positive direction. "It has already turned around. Europe is our weakest market, but we're strong everywhere else. Sales are doing well at this point, and we don't anticipate any meaningful sales shortfall," he said, adding that the company's market capitalisation was back above $1 trillion.

Responding to bumper stickers on Tesla cars in Europe that said, "I bought this before we knew Elon was crazy," Musk said his political endeavours may have affected sales. "We lost some sales on the left, but we've regained them on the right. Things are in good shape, don't worry about it."


Musk also said he would continue to be the chief executive of the EV major unless he died. "I am confident that whatever some activist posing as a judge in Delaware happens to do will not affect my future compensation," he said. Musk was referring to Delaware judge Chancellor Kathaleen McCormick, who ruled in December that the billionaire entrepreneur is not entitled to receive a $56 billion compensation package.

Musk insisted that McCormick is not a judge, but an activist "cosplaying as a judge in a Halloween costume".

Asked if pay is a relevant factor to his commitment to Tesla, Musk said it's not about the money, but about voting control. "I cannot be ousted by activist investors. It's about a reasonable control over the future of the company. I can't be sitting there one day and be tossed out for political reasons by activists. That would be unacceptable," he said.