Musk, predictably, denied the story with his usual mix of bluster and all-caps fury.

“It is an EXTREMELY BAD BREACH OF ETHICS that the [Journal] would publish a DELIBERATELY FALSE ARTICLE and fail to include an unequivocal denial,” from the board, he wrote in one post.

Then, around 2 AM Eastern Time on Thursday, he added, “WSJ is a discredit to journalism.”

A spokesperson for Tesla also issued a denial, but the Journal hasn’t pulled the story, suggesting that its reporters are confident they’ve seen or heard something the board doesn’t want public.

And frankly, it’s not hard to see why Tesla might be quietly looking for a way out.

The company is coming off a brutal quarter, with slumping sales, sliding revenue, and rising anxiety over President Donald Trump’s tariffs. And Musk’s semi-sabbatical from Tesla to run DOGE hasn’t helped. While he’s been busy slashing federal jobs and gutting public programs, Tesla has been losing market share, investor confidence, and—based on recent protests—public goodwill.

But Musk isn’t just unpopular in the United States; Tesla’s global sales are tanking, too.

In France, sales fell 59.4% last month compared to the year before, and in Denmark, they plummeted 67.2%. And Reuters reported that, while competition from cheaper electric vehicles is cutting into Tesla’s market share in Europe, Musk’s open embrace of far-right politics has also fueled protests around the world.

Not even Trump’s attempt to turn the White House into a glorified Tesla showroom has reversed the damage. Musk’s side gig at DOGE isn’t just a distraction anymore—it’s a liability.

Musk has said that he plans to spend more time at Tesla and scale back his work at DOGE, but that might be too little, too late. Demonstrators have targeted Tesla over Musk’s role in the Trump administration, while the company scrambles to keep buyers interested. It’s now sending desperate texts, conducting surveys, and even offering cash incentives to sell more cars.

Desperation isn’t a great look for a company once billed as the future of transportation.

If the Journal’s reporting proves wrong, it wouldn’t be the first time that Musk or someone in Trump’s orbit has butted heads with the outlet. The paper’s editorial board has recently criticized Trump’s Ukraine policy and his petty decision to strip security clearances from former officials.

Musk turning the full force of his rage on the Journal only adds to the chaos.

Still, the bigger picture remains: Musk is a liability to Tesla. The White House figured this out and has pushed him aside. The question now is whether Tesla’s board has the nerve to do the same.

At this rate, it’s not just DOGE that’s collapsing on Musk’s watch—it’s Tesla, too.