Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) boss Elon Musk is facing constructive criticism from some of his supporters over his handling of Tesla, which he owns.
The problem, according to Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy, is that while Musk’s work at DOGE has been stellar, it’s been done at the expense of Tesla, whose stock has been plummeting since late December.
“I’m a big stockholder of Tesla and I certainly raise my eyebrows,” Portnoy told Fox Business Network host Stuart Varney on “Varney and Co.” on Friday. “I like DOGE. I like what they’re doing.”
“But let me tell you this, if you’re going to send out, and you got to call it both ways, if you’re going to send emails to federal workers and say, ‘What have you done for the last five days?’ I think Tesla shareholders are entitled to ask their CEO, Elon Musk, ‘What have you done for Tesla the last five days?'” he added.
Listen:
“Seemingly all he cares about right now is DOGE,” Portnoy continued. “Now, could it be coincidence that the stock is down 25 percent since he really started this? I guess.”
“But I think it’s fair, as a shareholder of Tesla, to say, ‘What are you doing for Tesla shareholders?’ Now maybe you’re greasing the wheels, and you’ll get some deals through the government. I don’t know, but it’s certainly in bounds to ask,” he concluded.
Portnoy isn’t the only Tesla shareholder who’s used Musk’s “what have you done for the last five days” email against him.
Hi @elonmusk can you please tell us 5 things you did last week? pic.twitter.com/meidkvCXIP
— David Leavitt ♂️ (@David_Leavitt) February 25, 2025
Please share 5 things you did for $TSLA shareholders this week. Or are you working remotely? Asking for all of us. pic.twitter.com/pUCIJBoB6X
— Jerry Avenaim (@avenaim) February 26, 2025
According to The Street, Tesla’s primary problems, aside from Musk’s focus on DOGE, are two-fold.
“Chinese customers are less than enthused with a limited self-driving function upgrade that they’ve been waiting for for a long time,” the financial news site notes. “Tesla drivers [said] that Musk’s latest upgrade isn’t living up to promises in moving the ball closer towards a fully autonomous driving system. That is a competitive problem for Tesla as China’s homegrown EV makers are offering partial self-driving functionality at a fraction of the cost – if any – when compared to Tesla.”
“The other headache is coming from a different part of the world. All across Europe, Tesla just doesn’t have the cache it used to. Sales on the continent were down 45 percent in January – hitting a two-year low., Compare that to total industrywide EV sales, which jumped 37 percent. In Germany Tesla registrations slumped to their lowest in 3-1/2 years, while in France they hit 2-1/2 year low. In the UK. China’s BYD outsold Tesla for the first time ever,” the reporting continues.
All this comes despite Tesla having initially performed exceptionally well after the 2024 presidential election.
“The stock soared after the US presidential election on bets that Musk would benefit from his close association with President Donald Trump,” Bloomberg notes. “But investor confidence ebbed in January, when the company reported weak fourth-quarter delivery numbers and its sales showed the first annual drop in over a decade. An earnings report later showed lower-than-expected quarterly profit, just as the company dialed back its sales outlook for 2025.”
Portnoy has also had some recent criticism for the Trump administration.
“If I’m gonna be fair these questions needs to be asked today,” he wrote in a Twitter/X post on Thursday. “Why is the release of the Epstein list always a sh-t show? What’s the point of booting out illegals and criminals while somehow becoming a safe haven for the Tate brothers?”
“Why is Crypto in the toilet if Trump is crypto king? How far does Tsla stock have to crash before Elon goes back to work?” he added.
Look:
If I’m gonna be fair these questions needs to be asked today.
Why is the release of the Epstein list always a shit show?
What’s the point of booting out illegals and criminals while somehow becoming a safe haven for the Tate brothers?
Why is Crypto in the toilet if Trump…
— Dave Portnoy (@stoolpresidente) February 27, 2025
Writers and editors can be contacted at [email protected] with feedback, tips, or corrections.
V. Saxena is a staff writer with a decade of experience as a professional writer, and a lifetime of experience as an avid news junkie. He holds a degree in computer technology from Purdue University. Saxena also contributes to BizPac Review.
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