Is Elon Musk the Saddest Man in the World?

In 2021, Elon Musk was riding high — the richest man on Earth, lauded as a visionary who disrupted the auto industry, space exploration, and telecommunications. In 2025, however, he increasingly resembles a cautionary tale: a man whose unfiltered politics, impulsive ventures, and faltering businesses have alienated both allies and admirers. Once adored by liberals for his leadership on climate tech and electric vehicles, Musk now finds himself increasingly isolated — and not just ideologically.

Business Woes Mount

Tesla’s financials tell the story most clearly. The company’s profits dropped 71% in the first quarter of 2025, its worst earnings report in over two years. Sales in key international markets like Germany, France, and Norway have cratered by 40–70%, with domestic EV market share slipping below 50%. Once synonymous with innovation, Tesla is now struggling to defend its turf from legacy automakers and new Chinese competitors — and Musk’s bombastic behavior is a big reason why.

Consumers who once lined up for Teslas are turning away. Musk’s outspoken support for far-right figures and policies, including a $260 million donation to Donald Trump’s 2024 campaign, has prompted a liberal backlash. In response, campaigns like “Tesla Takedown” have encouraged customers to boycott Tesla and divest from Musk’s empire. Even previously friendly investors are growing skittish.

From DOGE to Disgrace

Musk’s political role under President Trump as head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) was meant to institutionalize his Silicon Valley philosophy inside Washington. It backfired. His proposals to slash federal spending — particularly on climate initiatives and public transit — alienated environmentalists and urban advocates. His tenure produced little tangible reform and generated enormous backlash. His resignation in May 2025 was followed days later by an extraordinary attack on the Trump administration’s proposed budget.

Calling the budget a “disgusting abomination,” Musk shocked allies by accusing Trump of reckless spending. The fallout was swift: conservative pundits who once defended him now label him a turncoat. His exit from the administration was so acrimonious, it may have burned the last bridge back to federal influence.

Embarrassing Political Bets

Musk’s woes extend to the ballot box. In Wisconsin, he invested over $14 million backing conservative judicial candidate Brad Schimel in a state Supreme Court race — only to see Schimel lose handily. It wasn’t just a financial setback. The loss made Musk’s political machine look impotent, undercutting his aspirations of being a kingmaker. Similar failures in Arizona and Michigan have made Republican strategists quietly distance themselves.

The Cost of Isolation

Perhaps the saddest part of Musk’s decline is how preventable much of it was. His early appeal crossed partisan lines: the climate-conscious innovator, the practical futurist, the builder. But over time, he chose ideological trench warfare over broader coalitions. He alienated progressives, confused conservatives, and lost the mainstream middle.

In 2025, Elon Musk isn’t broke or finished. But he is embattled, increasingly alone, and facing a reckoning with the very public he once inspired. That might just make him — metaphorically — the saddest man in the world.