The report, which cited unnamed sources, said Tesla’s board had approached executive search firms about a potential leadership change amid rising investor concerns over Musk’s focus and the company’s falling performance.

Musk responded furiously on X, calling it “an EXTREMELY BAD BREACH OF ETHICS” and slamming the WSJ for “publishing a DELIBERATELY FALSE ARTICLE” despite receiving a prior denial from Tesla’s board.

“Earlier today, there was a media report erroneously claiming that the Tesla Board had contacted recruitment firms to initiate a CEO search at the company. This is absolutely false (and this was communicated to the media before the report was published),” Denholm said. “The CEO of Tesla is Elon Musk and the Board is highly confident in his ability to continue executing on the exciting growth plan ahead.”

The media report came at a time when Tesla is under pressure. Profits are down 71% year-on-year and revenue slipped 9% in Q1, amid protests over Musk’s role as head of the US Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) under the Trump administration.