Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA) shares initially shrugged off a weak earnings report before the stock got caught in the trade-war sell-off. The electric vehicle (EV) maker had a tough year in 2024, although Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk continues to be very upbeat about the future.

Earnings were weaker than expected, the near-term outlook is murky, EV sales are down, and Elon Musk is more distracted than ever before. But with a phalanx of loyal shareholders and a cowed board he’s not going anywhere.

Musk, who also runs SpaceX and a number of other companies, has been known to make big often exaggerated promises. For example, he once called the Hyperloop, which was never built, the "fifth mode of transport" and famously promised to take Tesla private in a Twitter post, saying he had secured financing that he didn't have.