Tesla began this year under pressure. The company faced falling global demand, increased competition, and internal strain. The Wall Street Journal reported that Tesla’s board initiated contact with executive search firms in early May. The stated goal was to explore potential replacements for Elon Musk. This story landed at a moment when Musk had just announced he would step back from leadership at his meme-inspired crypto project DOGE. He claimed this decision was to re-focus attention on Tesla, which only deepened speculation.