Elon Musk is back in full force: accelerating the firing of senior executives at Tesla, X, xAI… after a public confrontation with President Donald Trump.

Elon Musk is back in full swing: accelerating the firing of senior executives at Tesla, X, xAI… after a public confrontation with President Donald Trump. The Wall Street Journal describes this as a turning point signaling Elon Musk’s return to the “battlefield”, with an astonishing speed of “replacement” of senior executives.

The story began after Musk endorsed Mr. Trump, was temporarily appointed to the “Department of Government Efficiency” (DOGE), then suddenly broke down when he strongly criticized the spending package and called it a “heinous crime.” This angered the US President. The once close friendship ended.

Now, with markets still tight and stock prices in flux, Musk has returned to the office with an aggressive performance requirement and has eliminated anyone who can’t adapt to the corporate culture. According to the WSJ, he believes that breakthrough products like self-driving cars and AI are the lifeblood of the future, not traditional sales and marketing strategies. Any leader who doesn’t fit the bill will be eliminated.

The first casualties of the shakeup were Linda Yaccarino, the former CEO of X, who ended her partnership after just two years over disagreements with Musk over content moderation and marketing. At the same time, Tesla’s mainstays like Omead Afshar were also removed from their positions — a sign that Musk wanted to set an example across the board to ensure that no one slowed down at the pace he set.

On the other hand, Tesla’s board has been secretly looking for a CEO to replace Musk, reflecting internal concerns that he has inadvertently divided the internal energy. They clearly sensed the risk from the leader, while Musk continued to insist that the internal world must “move like a race car.”

So what is behind this ruthless strategy – especially in this sensitive period after the fallout with Mr Trump?

It can be seen that Musk wants to build a “centralized leadership regime” more than ever – a place that does not accept different voices and requires absolute obedience. He wants Tesla, X, xAI… to become a military-like corporation and operate under a single command.

Musk’s constant firing of top brass helps maintain a “culture of fear”—where subordinates are reluctant to challenge him or draw attention to themselves if they disagree with him. This model optimizes short-term decision-making, but undermines long-term leadership, succession planning, and can make executive hiring difficult.

Reuters points out the consequences. Tesla is losing significant market share, especially in China — where it still relies on local leadership. The absence of a permanent leader could derail the American electric carmaker.

Back to the conflict with President Donald Trump. This action only further proves Musk’s point that he is a fearless boss. The firing of senior executives is Musk’s way of responding to the legal blow and the skepticism about the company’s direction — by overhauling internal systems, reinventing them from the ground up to counter any outside influence. The goal is to reposition Tesla and its companies as “hyper-personalized” platforms, less constrained by politics, boards, or laws.

However, financial and human resources experts warn that this leadership model can be counterproductive if it continues. Tesla has seen many senior lawyers, CFOs, Autopilot technical directors, etc. leave at the same time, creating a sense of chaos in culture and strategy. In the short term, Tesla can continue to operate “on a high-speed track” and be loyal to Musk’s product vision, but in the long term, the risk of lacking a succession system and a dedicated leadership apparatus will be a big problem for investors and human resources to consider.