Musk says he will remain Tesla CEO in coming years

Tesla CEO Elon Musk said in an interview on Tuesday that he plans to remain the leader of the electric vehicle giant in the years ahead.

Musk was interviewed by Bloomberg at the Qatar Economic Forum in Doha and said he plans to remain at Tesla.

“Yes, no doubt about that at all,” Musk said in response to a question about his continued tenure as Tesla’s CEO. He was asked about whether he plans to stay at Tesla as CEO for the next five years and whether he has any doubts about that.

“Well, no, unless I die,” Musk laughingly replied. “I can’t be CEO if I am dead.”

AMERICAN CEOS ELON MUSK, SAM ALTMAN, LARRY FINK JOIN TRUMP AT SAUDI ROYAL COURT

His comments come following his involvement with the Trump administration as the public leader of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). 

That role raised concerns among some investors about Musk’s focus on Tesla, as well as his other businesses like SpaceX and xAI, which contributed to a slide in Tesla’s stock alongside soft demand for EVs. Musk said that Tesla has already “turned around” and that while its weakest market is Europe, demand is strong everywhere else.

STARBASE, HOME TO ELON MUSK’S SPACEX, TO OFFICIALLY BECOME A TEXAS CITY

Musk said that Starlink, the satellite-based interest service that’s operated by SpaceX, may go public at some point in the future – but added that there’s no rush to do so. 

The company has expanded rapidly around the world, focusing on tapping into emerging markets with limited internet infrastructure as well as showing its utility in disaster-stricken areas and war zones.

After being a prominent political backer and donor to President Donald Trump’s campaign, Musk said that he plans to do “a lot less” political spending in the future, adding that “I think I’ve done enough.”

MUSK, TESLA BOARD CHAIR DENY REPORT ON SEARCH FOR NEW CEO

Musk was asked if his plans to rein in his political spending are in response to blowback and responded, “If I see a reason to do political spending in the future, I will do it. I do not currently see a reason.”

The topic of artificial intelligence (AI) also came up, with Musk saying that the emerging sector should be subject to some regulations in the U.S., but adding that the sector shouldn’t be overregulated.

His artificial intelligence company xAI is ramping up its data center capacity to train more advanced models. 

xAI’s supercomputer cluster in Memphis, Tennessee, is dubbed “Colossus” and is touted as the world’s largest.

Reuters contributed to this report.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.