Tesla is laying off 14,000 people, their self-driving cars are hitting a wall—figurative and sometimes literal—and this week, Cybertrucks were recalled over faulty pedals. How did Tesla go from being one of the world’s most successful businesses to the business equivalent of a dumpster fire that’s lost hundreds of billions of dollars in valuation? Erin and Max break down how Elon Musk trapped his company in a cycle of increasingly elusive innovation. And how, despite all of this, Tesla has it remained dominant in an electric car market that is only growing.

SOURCES

Taxpayer Subsidies Helped Tesla Motors, So Why Does Elon Musk Slam Them? – Mother Jones

How Elon Musk Got Rich: The $230 Billion Myth | The Class Room ft. Second Thought

Can Elon Musk Lead the Way to an Electric-Car Future? | The New Yorker

Tesla under investigation in California over Autopilot safety issues and false advertising - The Verge

Elon Musk's growing empire is fueled by $4.9 billion in government subsidies - Los Angeles Times

Elon Musk’s Distraction Is Just One of Tesla’s Problems - The New York Times

Tesla’s Value Dips Below $500 Billion in Blow to Stock Bulls - Bloomberg

Tesla Is Running Out of Time to Deliver on Self-Driving Promises - WSJ

Electric vehicles - IEA

Schwarzenegger boosts electric car makers

An Electric Car With Juice - The Washington Post