Elon Musk Alone Can’t Explain Tesla’s Owner Exodus

Tori Horowitz loved her 2021 Tesla Model S. “It worked for my life because I’m in my car all the time,” says the realtor, who drives weekly from Los Angeles 80 miles north to Ojai, California. “It felt efficient. It was zippy. It was intuitive. It was exactly what I needed.”

But she didn’t love the reputation of Tesla co-founder and Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk, who’s polarized consumers by engaging in public spats with presidents and endorsing an antisemitic post on X, the social media site he owns. In 2024 he was sued for sexual harassment and accused ...