Tesla has proposed a $1 trillion incentive package for Musk.
Elon Musk’s political leanings and involvements are his personal decisions, with Tesla taking into consideration only his performance at the company, Tesla Inc. Board Chair Robyn Denholm said in a Sept. 12 interview with Bloomberg Tech.
“We’re in a democracy. So everybody gets to voice their points of view. I think Elon, having served as a special government employee, he, obviously, completed that activity, and he is back and front and center at the company these days,” she said.
“What he does from a personal perspective in terms of his political motivations, etc., is up to him … from our perspective as a board, we’re measuring him on results and measuring him on what he does as a CEO of Tesla. And our view is, he’s delivered big-time in the past, and we look forward to him doing that in the next era.”
The billionaire’s involvement with the Trump administration had triggered public backlash against Tesla among a segment of the public.
Musk had led the charge at the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) after the new administration assumed power earlier this year.
Under his tenure, DOGE pushed forward federal spending cuts and mass layoffs of government employees, which was followed by the “Tesla Takedown” movement, a series of scattered demonstrations. In late March, the movement launched a coordinated effort, targeting all of Tesla’s 277 showrooms and service centers in the nation.
Some of the protests turned violent. In Las Vegas; Salem, Oregon; and Rome, Michigan, there were instances of Tesla vehicles being vandalized, charging stations being set on fire, and anti-Musk slogans being spray-painted on buildings.
Musk left DOGE in May after his 130-day mandate as a special government employee expired.
Musk has had an on-and-off relationship with President Donald Trump. Since exiting from DOGE, he has publicly criticized Trump for supporting the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, claiming that there would be significant increases to the federal deficit because of the bill.
Denholm’s latest comments come as Tesla has proposed an incentive of $1 trillion to Musk, which was revealed in a regulatory filing by Tesla with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
