Tesla stock was falling early Monday. Investors don't know what to expect this week. They are still recovering from the Trump-Musk feud, while the electri-vehicle maker could launch its robotaxi service as soon as Thursday.
More volatility is a good bet.
Shares of the electric vehicle maker were down 2.75% in early trading at $287.02, while S&P 500 and Dow Jones Industrial Average futures were both flat.
Tesla stock dropped almost 15% last week after CEO Elon Musk escalated his criticism of President Donald Trump's tax and spending bill, which devolved into a war of words on social media. Shares jumped 3.7% on Friday as things settled down, a little, but predicting the path of the conflict isn't easy. There are few, if any, precedents of business titans sparring with U.S. presidents on social media
The conflict comes just ahead of Tesla's robotaxi service launch in Austin, Texas. Reports set the date as June 12, but Tesla hasn't confirmed precise details. Management said on their April 22 earnings conference call that the launch was on track for June.
Before the feud, Tesla stock had gained more than $100 a share or about 45% since the April 22 call. Investors are optimistic that AI-related products will unlock more profitable growth for the EV maker.
After self-driving cars, Tesla wants to produce AI-trained humanoid robots. There was a development for that business investors will be digesting this week. Friday, Milan Kovac, Tesla's head of engineering for the humanoid robot Optimus, announced he was leaving the company.
Tesla, like any company, loses executives. Andrej Karpathy, who led part of Tesla's self-driving efforts, left in 2022. Former CFO Zach Kirkhorh left in 2023. Rebecca Tinucci, head of vehicle charging, left in 2024.
The robot business at Tesla is still in its early stages. Musk, however, said in January that his company could build thousands of robots in 2025 and 10 times that number in 2026.
There is a lot for investors to think about this week. Oftentimes, that translates into a lot of volatility for Tesla shares.