Elon Musk's companies see reputations crumble as backlash from his work with DOGE hits his ventures

Independent

20-05-2025

Elon Musk's companies have seen their reputations decline dramatically over the last year, according to a new poll, the latest sign of a backlash against the billionaire's work with the Trump administration.
In a ranking of the country's 100 most visible brands, Tesla fell to 95th, while SpaceX clocked in at 86, according to the 2025 Axios Harris 100 poll.
The rankings represent steep declines from the companies' previous perches at 8th and 5th, respectively, in the 2021 poll.
The plunge in reputation came even as competitors like Microsoft, Samsung, Nvidia, and Apple all made the top 10 for 2025.
X, meanwhile, notched a minor increase from last year — though only rising from 99th to 98th place.
The Independent has contacted SpaceX and Tesla for comment.
The poll, conducted between January and May, is the latest sign of the uneasy mix between Musk's role as an owner and executive at multiple high-profile companies and the figurehead for the Trump administration's Department of Government Efficiency initiative to dramatically slash federal spending.
In its first quarter of 2025, Tesla faced reduced profits, as well as freefalling sales in Europe, and Tesla dealerships and charging stations around the U.S. were set on fire and vandalized.
DOGE has also faced scores of lawsuits and protests accusing Musk and his allies of unilaterally gutting large parts of federal spending and hamstringing key agencies of the government like the Social Security Administration.
Against these headwinds, signs have pointed to Musk taking a step back from the world of politics.
In late April, he said he would be scaling back his White House role to a day or two of work per week, compared to the round-the-clock early months of the administration.
Observers also believe Donald Trump has cooled somewhat on Musk, noting big-money political failures like Musk's attempts to sway a Wisconsin judicial race, and the fact that the president hasn't posted about Musk since early April, according to an analysis by Politico.
'He's finished, done, gone. He polls terribly. People hate him,' an anonymous GOP operative told the outlet. 'He'd go to Wisconsin thinking he can buy people's votes, wear the cheese hat, act like a 9-year-old. ... It doesn't work. It's offensive to people.'
Speaking at the Qatar Economic Forum on Tuesday, Musk said he plans to 'do a lot less' political spending.
'I think I've done enough,' he said.
During the 2024 campaign, Musk aligned himself closely with the GOP, pouring over $290 million into supporting Trump and his allies.