But Tesla's troubles, though levered to Musk, may be deeper than Musk's distractions, such as politics, gaming, and colonizing Mars. A record fourth quarter delivery report in January seemed to indicate all was well with Tesla, but it doesn't tell the full story.

Shares of electric vehicle maker Tesla tumbled 8% in morning trading as the feud between CEO Elon Musk and Trump reignited over the weekend

But then, the news that investors had been hoping for; Musk announced he would be stepping away from government to focus on his businesses. Tesla stock recovered to as high as $356, although the ride remains uncomfortable. Musk also began raising capital for his artificial intelligence business xAI Corp., said to have a $5 billion target.

Linda Yaccarino, one of Elon Musk's top deputies as CEO of his X social media site, is exiting the company in a surprise move just months after the platform was acquired by the billionaire's AI startup,