Austin, TX – At 12:19 AM +07 on Monday, May 19, 2025, Elon Musk is reveling in a dramatic reversal of fortune as Tesla Inc.’s stock soared 44.89% over the past month, closing at $349.98 on Friday and pushing the company’s market cap to $1.12 trillion. The stunning rebound has not only silenced doubters but also given Musk the ammunition to fire back at critics, most notably Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, in a viral X post that blends financial triumph with political score-settling.
Musk’s taunt, “Yo Timmy, how’s your day bro?” accompanied a screenshot of Tesla’s soaring stock chart, directly targeting Walz’s earlier mockery. In March, at a Wisconsin event, Walz had quipped, “I added Tesla to [my iPhone stock app] to give me a little boost during the day — $225 and dropping,” drawing laughs at Tesla’s then-struggling share price. Musk, incensed, had called Walz a “huge jerk” and “a creep” on X, accusing him of mocking American investors during a low point for the company. Now, with Tesla’s valuation back in the trillion-dollar realm, Musk’s retort has resonated widely, earning cheers from his supporters on X.
Tesla’s resurgence follows months of challenges, including a Wall Street Journal report in April alleging the board was seeking Musk’s successor amid investor skepticism. Tesla swiftly denied the claim, reaffirming Musk’s leadership, a move that bolstered market confidence. Analysts now point to several drivers of the rally: bullish upgrades, optimism about Tesla’s AI and robotics ventures like the Optimus humanoid robot, and expansion plans in India and Southeast Asia. Goldman Sachs raised its 12-month price target to $385, citing demand for Tesla’s Full Self-Driving software, while Morgan Stanley noted the company’s unmatched innovation trajectory in EVs and AI.
Despite a 2.81% dip in after-hours trading to $340.15, Tesla’s 100.17% annual gain underscores its dominance, defying earlier predictions of a management shakeup. Yet, Musk’s political battles remain heated. Walz, a 2024 running mate to Kamala Harris, has been a vocal critic of Musk and the Trump administration, framing Tesla’s struggles as emblematic of corporate overreach. His March jab was met with irritation—“I was making a joke. These people have no sense of humor,” Walz said—but Musk’s latest move has turned the tables, using Tesla’s success as a weapon in their feud.
Musk’s influence extends beyond Tesla. As a key figure in Trump’s administration through the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), he has shaped budget cuts and regulatory rollbacks, though he recently scaled back his involvement to “one or two days a week.” This alliance has deepened his rift with progressive figures like Walz, making Tesla’s stock performance a lightning rod in the culture wars. Musk’s X post isn’t just a victory lap—it’s a statement of resilience against detractors who bet against him.
Questions linger about Tesla’s future. Can it sustain this growth amid competition from Rivian, BYD, and Lucid Motors? Will Musk’s political involvement distract from Tesla’s core mission? For now, Musk is steering the narrative from Austin, where Tesla’s headquarters relocated in 2020, reminding the world that his knack for defying expectations—seen in his 2013 rejection of Google’s $5 billion offer—remains intact. As Tesla dominates headlines, Walz’s silence speaks volumes in a polarized climate where financial wins become cultural battles.
