As Elon Musk has started to cut government staffing and budgets, citizens from North America and Europe have formed over 200 demonstrations in pursuit of justice for those who lost their jobs. 

As of late, Elon Musk decided to aim for government cuts up to $2 trillion; this occurred due to his leadership position in the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Over 6,000 veterans lost their jobs, and 20,000 positions were lost in the Department of Health and Human Services.

These two areas of many sectors of the workforce ignited the spark from early January even more. Groups under the name “Tesla Takedown” have started taking action as of early 2025 in opposition to the actions of Elon Musk. Over 200 demonstrations have been held in front of Tesla dealerships and showrooms in an attempt to boycott his company. 

While most protests have been nonviolent, there has been an increase in vandalism consisting of damaging property and spray painting words of protest. 

For example, many of the protesters planned their biggest day of action for March 29. During this day, arsonists were suspected of being responsible for setting fire to a Tesla dealership in Rome, Italy. In the United States, there were several incidents of vehicles being set on fire as well. 

In response, Elon Musk has been responding with dismissal through defending the Department of Health and Human Services while continuing to make Nazi-related jokes including “Don’t say Hess to Nazi accusations!” on X, formerly known as Twitter. Additionally, he has threatened to take legal actions against those who were organizing the protests. He believes that they have been trying to harm the financial reputation of Tesla. 

Throughout this time, Tesla has lost around $500 billion as protests rise and income plummets. The ongoing backlash against Tesla and Elon Musk continues to highlight the political, social and corporate tension around the world.