Tesla Is Failing Upward

Nothing captures the decline of Tesla better than the Cybertruck. When the stainless-steel pickup hit the road in 2023, Tesla was the world’s biggest electric-car company. At the time, Elon Musk predicted that he’d eventually sell 250,000 Cybertrucks a year. In the first half of 2026, according to one estimate, Tesla sold roughly 7,000. Tesla has faced several self-inflicted wounds. Musk’s affiliation with Donald Trump and his tenure at DOGE was a turnoff for electric-car buyers who lean to…