Tesla denies contacting headhunters to replace Musk

Tesla has denied reports that it has contacted recruitment firms to motorboat a hunt for a replacement for Elon Musk arsenic main executive.

The Wall Street Journal reported connected Wednesday that the electrical car firm's committee began looking for a successor to Mr Musk past month.

It said this was due to the fact that of vexation astir Mr Musk's absorption connected his occupation successful US President Donald Trump's medication and Tesla's sinking stock price.

However, successful connection connected Thursday, Tesla said the study was "absolutely false" portion Mr Musk wrote connected his societal media level X that the insubstantial was "a discredit to journalism".

Tesla seat Robyn Denholm wrote connected X: "There was a media study erroneously claiming that the Tesla Board had contacted recruitment firms to initiate a CEO hunt astatine the company."

"This is perfectly mendacious (and this was communicated to the media earlier the study was published)."

She added: "The CEO of Tesla is Elon Musk and the committee is highly assured successful his quality to proceed executing connected the breathtaking maturation program ahead."

The denial comes aft the Wall Street Journal, citing unnamed sources, wrote that Mr Musk was told by the committee helium needed to walk much clip connected Tesla and that helium needed to accidental truthful publicly.

The insubstantial said Mr Musk did not propulsion backmost against the suggestion.

Last week, Mr Musk said connected a league telephone astir net "I'll beryllium allocating acold much of my clip to Tesla" and pledged to "significantly" chopped backmost his authorities role.

Writing connected X connected Thursday, Mr Musk was heavy captious of the Wall Street Journal's reporting.

"It is an EXTREMELY BAD BREACH OF ETHICS that the WSJ would people a DELIBERATELY FALSE ARTICLE and neglect to see an unequivocal denial beforehand by the Tesla committee of directors," helium said.

He aboriginal reposted a remark from an X idiosyncratic that called the insubstantial "trash".

Mr Musk's enactment of Trump's recently created advisory assemblage - the Department for Government Efficiency (Doge) - has attracted a batch of criticism.

Some customers of Tesla accidental they no longer consciousness loyal to the brand due to the fact that of Mr Musk's arguable governmental views and actions portion successful complaint of Doge.

Some person pledged to boycott the steadfast portion others person staged protests against it due to the fact that of Mr Musk - successful immoderate cases causing transgression harm to dealerships.

Meanwhile, investors and analysts person said Mr Musk's estimation and his juggling of high-level roles is portion of the crushed wherefore Tesla struggling financially.

In March, Trump - with Mr Musk by his broadside - told reporters astatine the White House gardens anyone utilizing unit against Tesla would "go done hell".

He past pledged to bargain a reddish Model-S, 1 of a fig of Teslas lined up connected the White House thrust that day, to enactment the electrical car firm.

Temporary authorities employees, specified arsenic Mr Musk, are usually constricted to moving 130 days a twelvemonth which, if counted from the time of Trump's inauguration, volition extremity successful precocious May.

But it is unclear erstwhile Mr Musk, who contributed much than a 4th of a cardinal dollars to Trump's re-election, volition measurement down completely.

Trump said past period helium would support Mr Musk "as agelong arsenic I could support him".

On Wednesday, Mr Musk, who besides runs abstraction steadfast SpaceX, made airy of the thought helium was doing excessively galore jobs.

In a video posted connected X successful a White House furniture meeting, helium was wearing 2 shot caps.

"They accidental I deterioration a batch of hats," Mr Musk said successful the video. "That's true. Even my chapeau has a hat."

Bloomberg reported that Mr Musk besides said connected Wednesday that Doge should analyse the spending of the US cardinal bank, the Federal Reserve, peculiarly the outgo of renovating its headquarters.

Mr Musk has made akin comments before, raising the thought that the Fed should beryllium audited. However, specified a determination would airs questions astir the bank's independence.