London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Friday, Aug 14, 2026

Elon Musk emails staff as Tesla stocks reach two-year low

Elon Musk emails staff as Tesla stocks reach two-year low

Supply chain difficulties at Tesla's Shanghai factory and waning confidence in Elon Musk have led to a tough year for stock in the electric car maker.
Tesla stocks have slid to their lowest value in more than two years as the electric car maker plans to reduce its production cycle and investors worry how much time Elon Musk is dedicating to managing Twitter.

Musk emailed Tesla staff telling them not to be "bothered by stock market craziness" and that Tesla will be the most valuable company on Earth in the long term.

"Please go all out for the next few days and volunteer to help deliver if at all possible. It will make a real difference!" he said in the email.

"Btw, don't be too bothered by stock market craziness. As we demonstrate continued excellent performance, the market will recognise that," he said.

"Long-term, I believe very much that Tesla will be the most valuable company on Earth!"

The market value of the car company was wiped out to the tune of $720bn (£599bn) - on Wednesday afternoon Tesla stock could be bought for $108.71 (£90.45) a share, a low not seen since August 2020 and down from a high of $407.36 (£338.93) a share in November 2021.

Over the course of the year the price of a share has declined 70%, setting it on course to be one of the five companies with the biggest losses in the S&P 500 index of 500 large US-listed companies.

While the value of US stocks dropped over 2022, the benchmark loss was 20%, which Tesla's share losses far outpaced.

Musk took the reins of the social media company in October this year after he halted his legal battle over the alleged number of bot accounts on the site, and completed the deal for roughly $44bn (£36.6bn). His tenure has seen thousands of job cuts and an overhaul of functions on the site.

Investors are concerned that the purchase has taken up too much of the world's former richest man's attention as he stepped into the role of Twitter chief executive.

Tesla's fortunes have been mixed as it has planned to slow down output at its Shanghai factory but continued to grow profit, booking $3.3bn (£2.74bn) of profit in its latest earnings report for the third quarter of 2022.

The plant is to enter an extended lunar new year shutdown, Reuters reported, extending the one experienced this month.

It's not the first time output will be slow as the maker missed its output targets for the third quarter of this year, despite having built a record number of cars.

Given the surge in 1COVID1-19 cases across China, where some Tesla factories are based, it's expected production will take time to ramp up.

The company has also predicted, in its latest earnings report, that battery supply chain constraints will be the main factor stopping growth in the electric vehicle market in the medium and long term.

Aside from the slower production, investors are equally concerned about weakened demand and heightened competition in the electric vehicle market as traditional carmakers switch to electric production.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
UK Condemns Houthi Actions and Warns of Red Sea Threat to Global Trade
UK and Solomon Islands Open Wildlife Photography Exhibition in Honiara
UK Small Businesses Face Continued Cash Flow and Tax Pressures
Greatham Marsh Restoration Restores Tidal Wetland in Hartlepool After More Than 200 Years
UK Health Regulator Urges University Students to Check Meningitis and Measles Vaccination Status
Mining Remediation Authority Completes Major Ground Stabilization Works in Scottish Community
UK Food Crime Investigators Seize 33 Tonnes of Illegal Food in Multi-Agency Operation
Technical Qualification Uptake Hits Record High as Advanced Mathematics Results Improve
UK Summer Temperatures on Course to Challenge Long-Standing Records, Met Office Says
UK Farmers Bring Forward Cereal Harvests as Drought Threatens Yields
Wildfires Surge Across England and Wales as Fire Chiefs Report Record July
UK Nurses Warn of Heat Risks as Hospital Staff Struggle With Extreme Temperatures
Southern Water Seeks Drought Order for Hampshire and Isle of Wight Amid Water Shortages
UK Heatwave Pushes West London Temperature to 38.1 Degrees as Health Alerts Continue
UK Economy Grows 0.4% in Second Quarter Despite Global Uncertainty
China’s Kimi Launches AI-Focused Credit Card With Agricultural Bank of China and American Express
UK Residents Gather to Watch Rare Partial Solar Eclipse
Reform UK Deputy Leader Richard Tice Faces Criticism Over Legal Threat Against Guardian Journalist
Michael Forsyth Elected Speaker of the House of Lords
Cambridge Researchers Launch £20 Million Human Organoid Drug Testing Programme
Heathrow Loses European Passenger Traffic Lead to Istanbul Airport
Households Near New UK Electricity Pylons to Receive £250 Annual Energy Bill Discount
UK Government Estimates Zero-Hours Contract Ban Could Cost Employers Up to £3 Billion a Year
Robert Jenrick Leaves Conservatives for Reform UK in Major Parliamentary Defection
UK Police Chiefs Urge Government to Block Early Release of Andrew Harper Killers
UK Government Holds Emergency Cobra Meeting as Drought and Heatwave Raise Wildfire Risks
Former Labour Adviser Arrested on Suspicion of Spying for China Held Privileged Access as Top Party Donor
Turkish Parliament Passes Landmark Bill Granting Conditional Amnesty to Disarmed PKK Members
Donald Trump Warns FIFA Against Ousting Gianni Infantino Amid Revolt by Global Football Leaders
Jeff Bezos Joins Investor Group Closing In on $6 Billion Liverpool FC Stake
Police Conduct Cross-Border Raids Against Northern England Drug Network
Nicola Sturgeon Protested at Edinburgh Festival Fringe Event
Major UK Retail Chain Enters Administration With One Hundred Fifty-Four Stores Set to Close
Heathrow Renews Call for Runway Expansion After Losing Europe’s Busiest Airport Ranking
Government Condemns One Million Pound Thames Water Executive Bonus Amid Drought
NHS England Says More Than One Hundred Thousand Hepatitis C Patients Have Been Cured
UK Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband Calls for End to West Bank Settler Violence
UK Prepares for Deepest Partial Solar Eclipse Since Nineteen Ninety-Nine
UK Heatwave Triggers Amber Health Alerts as Economic Losses Reach Four Point Four Billion Pounds
UK Offers Electricity Bill Discounts to Communities Hosting New Power Infrastructure
Bank of England Expected to Hold Interest Rates at Three Point Seven Five Percent
UK Government Moves to Ban Subscription Traps and Misleading Retail Discounts
Andy Burnham Gives Councils New Powers to Block Betting and Vape Shops
UK Councils to Receive Sweeping Planning Powers to Ban New Vape and Betting Shops
Nicola Sturgeon Says She Has No Contact With Estranged Husband After SNP Embezzlement Case
Police Arrest Two Men After Aberdeenshire Defense Technology Office Break-In
Greater Manchester Councils Gain Powers to Restrict New Vape and Betting Shops
Coroner Finds Treasury Workplace Failures Contributed to Personal Assistant’s Suicide
English and Welsh Courts Ban Meta Smart Glasses Over Recording and Privacy Risks
Strait of Hormuz Disruption Could Double UK Inflation and Trigger Recession, Forecasters Warn
×