The debates
Content moderation on X and the advertiser exodus
After the takeover he cut staff and restored banned accounts including Donald Trump’s. In late 2023 he endorsed a post accusing Jewish communities of pushing hatred against whites. About 200 large advertisers stopped spending on X, among them Disney, Apple and IBM.
At DealBook he apologised for the post and said he had “handed a loaded gun” to his critics. He accused advertisers of trying to blackmail him and told them not to advertise. He says free speech means what the law allows and that X should not censor beyond it.
Wikipedia: Acquisition of Twitter by Elon Musk · Boston Globe: Musk at the DealBook Summit (30 November 2023) · The Quint: Musk explains his idea of free speech (27 April 2022)
Autopilot and self-driving safety claims
In December 2023 US regulators found Autopilot’s controls “insufficient to prevent misuse”. Tesla recalled about two million cars for a software fix. In August 2025 a Miami jury held Tesla partly liable for a 2019 Autopilot crash that killed 22-year-old Naibel Benavides Leon. It awarded $243 million.
Tesla said it did not agree with the regulator’s findings but issued the recall to settle the inquiry. It called the Miami verdict wrong and said it would appeal. The driver admitted he was distracted by a dropped phone. Musk called the June 2025 robotaxi launch in Austin the “culmination of a decade of hard work”.
The Register: Tesla recalls two million vehicles over Autopilot (13 December 2023) · Fortune: Tesla Autopilot crash verdict (2 August 2025) · Entrepreneur: Tesla robotaxis drive themselves in Austin (23 June 2025)
The 2018 ‘funding secured’ tweet
On 7 August 2018 he tweeted that he could take Tesla private at $420 a share with funding secured. The SEC charged him with fraud over the claim. He and Tesla each paid $20 million. He stepped down as chairman for three years.
Both settled without admitting or denying the charges. Investors later sued for their losses. In February 2023 a jury found him not liable. He testified that he had no ill motive and meant to do right by all shareholders.
SEC press release 2018-226 (29 September 2018) · NBC News: Jury finds Musk did not defraud Tesla investors (February 2023)
The 2018 Tesla pay package in Delaware
Shareholder Richard Tornetta challenged the 2018 award, valued at $56 billion when granted. In 2024 a Delaware judge struck it down. She found the directors conflicted and key facts hidden from shareholders. In November 2025 shareholders approved a new plan worth up to $878 billion if Tesla meets targets.
He accused Delaware’s judges of activism and urged companies to leave the state. Tesla reincorporated in Texas. On 19 December 2025 the Delaware Supreme Court reinstated the 2018 package.
Al Jazeera: Musk wins appeal to restore 2018 Tesla pay package (19 December 2025) · Wikipedia: Elon Musk
DOGE and conflicts of interest
Critics said his DOGE role let him reach agencies that regulate or pay his companies. Senator Richard Blumenthal pressed Tesla, SpaceX, X, xAI, Neuralink and The Boring Company on the conflicts. A Reuters review found about 260,000 federal workers gone. In 2026 the GAO found DOGE had overstated its savings.
He told reporters the public could judge for itself. “You can see whether I’m doing something that’s benefitting one of my companies or not,” he said. President Trump said he would not let Musk act where there was a conflict. Tesla cited its “robust compliance infrastructure”. In 2026 he told The Economist he had got “a little too involved” in politics.
Senator Blumenthal: Musk companies and DOGE conflicts of interest (25 February 2025) · CBS News: Musk defends DOGE in the Oval Office (11 February 2025) · Japan Times / Reuters: Musk leaving Trump administration (29 May 2025) · Daily Beast: GAO says DOGE overstated savings (6 August 2026) · Wikipedia: Department of Government Efficiency · The Economist: The full-length interview with Elon Musk (29 July 2026)
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