Musk Defends Tesla, Warns of Consequences for Protesters

By City A.M - May 22, 2025

• Elon Musk condemned recent politically motivated attacks against Tesla.
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• Despite backlash and protests—including vandalism and arson—linked to his political support of Trump and far-right parties, Musk said he has “no regrets” and emphasized his commitment to maintaining control over Tesla.
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• Musk tied his continued leadership at Tesla to securing “reasonable control,” rejecting the idea of remaining without a favorable pay deal.

Elon Musk has issued a stark warning to those behind violent attacks against Tesla, vowing criminal consequences for what he described as “evil” acts of politically motivated vandalism and threats.

Speaking in a virtual interview at the Qatar economic forum on Tuesday, the Tesla and SpaceX chief executive said he had taken the recent wave of violence and backlash “personally”, and was unequivocal in his condemnation of those behind them.

He said: “I’m not someone who has ever committed violence, yet massive violence was committed against my companies.”

“To damage some innocent person’s car, to threaten to kill me… What’s wrong with people?”, he added.

Musk claimed that several individuals responsible for various attacks on Tesla showrooms or cars were already facing jail time, and added: “We’re coming for you… the people that funded and organised them too will go to prison”.

Recent Elon Musk backlash

Tesla has recently faced waves of protests, both violent and peaceful, following its boss’s political interventions, including the support of president Donald Trump and far-right European parties, as well as his leadership position of the US Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).

Some protests were performed through vandalism and arson, while certain incidents are even being reportedly treated as domestic terrorism by the FBI.

Asked whether he regretted the political movements that ignited this backlash, Musk was resolute, saying: “I did what had to be done.”

The billionaire continued by defending his commitment to his company, Tesla, whilst underlining that his tenure was conditional on maintaining what he called “reasonable control” of the firm – most notably as it ventures into building “millions of humanoid robots”.

“This is not about money,” Musk warned, when interrogated about the value of his disputed $100bn compensation package from 2018, which is under legal review. “It’s about making sure activist investors can’t oust me for political reasons. That would be unacceptable.”

Musk comments come amid speculation that Tesla’s board is weighing a new pay structure to retain him long-term. When asked if his commitment to Tesla over the next five years was independent of any future pay deal, Musk bluntly replied: “No.”

Tesla’s sales have faltered in Europe, though Musk downplayed concerns, calling it the “weakest market”, while citing strong global demand and share price performance.

He also confirmed Tesla would launch its robotaxi fleet testing in Austin next month.

Elon Musk also directly addressed the media, accusing outlets of justifying violent responses to his actions. “Shame on them”, he said.

By Saskia Koopman via CityAM