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Tesla CEO Elon Musk has asked Wedbush analyst Dan Ives to shut up after Ives recommended that Tesla's board tie Musk's compensation package to the time that he spends at the company. Musk's political activity have driven concern from analysts, who have worried that his attention is divided between it and the other companies he runs. Ives, in particular, has sharply criticized Musk's activities and called Tesla's situation in April at a turning point before it got too late for the firm to turn the ship. around.
Elon Musk Goes Head To Head With Wedbush Analyst Calls For Oversight On His Political Activities
Tesla's shares have lost 20% year-to-date as they have struggled due to weak deliveries and Musk's back-and-forth with President Trump. While the shares took a brief sigh of relief after Musk announced earlier this year that he would step back from his government activities and after Tesla's robotaxi announcements, they soon resumed the downward spiral after a fresh bout of hostilities between Musk and President Trump and reports suggesting problems with robotaxi.
Wedbush's Dan Ives, who is one of Tesla's biggest supporters on Wall Street, has consistently criticized Musk in 2025. For instance, in April, Ives pointed out, "We remain bullish on Tesla, but this is a critical moment for Musk. The brand is weakening as a political symbol, and the situation is unsustainable. Musk has overcome major challenges before — this may be his toughest yet." The concern was accompanied by a $315 share price target, which was a 47% reduction from an earlier $550 price target.
The Wedbush analyst kept at it in a fresh post on X. Commenting on Tesla's affairs, he remarked that Tesla should offer Musk a new pay package that gives the executive 25% control to streamline Tesla's merger with xAI. xAI is Musk's AI company, and Ives has previously remarked that self-driving and AI can prove to be key drivers of Tesla's future.
His next two comments were more controversial. Ives believes that there should be "Guardrails established for the amount of time Musk spends at Tesla as part of pay package." The analyst also added that there should be "Oversight on political endeavors," pointing towards the added time that Musk might spend in politics after announcing his political party in the US.
Naturally, his latter two suggestions weren't taken well by Musk. Responding to the analyst's suggestions, Musk simply remarked, "Shut up, Dan". However, Ives didn't respond to Musk's remarks and shared in comments to other users that he would discuss Tesla and his latest thoughts about the company in detail later today.
Tesla's second-quarter deliveries marked another annual drop but ended up disappointing the firm's largest detractors. While analysts have speculated that the sales slowdown is due to a confluence of Musk's political activities and production issues, Musk has maintained that Tesla is struggling due to retooling and stressed that the firm's future is dependent on humanoid robots.
About the author: Ramish is a seasoned technology writer and editor with more than a decade of experience. He specializes in semiconductor fabrication and market analysis. With a background in finance and supply chain management - via his bachelors in Finance and a micromasters in supply chain management from MIT - Ramish combines financial rigor with deep industry insight to deliver accurate and authoritative coverage.
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