Tesla (TSLA) Stock: Musk’s Ryanair Feud Raises Stock Sale Questions

TLDR

• Elon Musk and Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary got into a public fight on X over Starlink service for flights, with Musk polling users about buying the airline.
• Buying Ryanair, valued at $35 billion, could require Musk to sell about 5% of his wealth, potentially from his Tesla stake.
• Tesla stock fell 4.2% on Tuesday, but the drop was tied to broader market weakness from tariff concerns.
• Musk confirmed Cybercab robotaxi and Optimus robot production will start “agonizingly slow” before ramping up later.
• Tesla plans to start volume Cybercab production in 2026, with Optimus output hopefully beginning late this year.

Tesla investors might be feeling a sense of déjà vu. CEO Elon Musk spent the weekend and early this week in a very public spat with Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary.

Tesla, Inc., TSLA

The whole thing started over whether Ryanair would use SpaceX’s Starlink broadband on its flights. O’Leary, known for obsessing over costs, rejected the idea because of fuel penalties. Musk called that thinking misinformed.

Then Musk did something that got Tesla shareholders’ attention. He polled X users about buying Ryanair. The airline has a market value of roughly $35 billion.

This isn’t just random CEO drama. Musk bought Twitter, now X, back in 2022. That deal created major volatility in Tesla stock and required Musk to sell Tesla shares.

The Twitter Playbook

If Musk actually pursued Ryanair, he might need to tap his Tesla stake again. The purchase could require about 5% of his estimated $740 billion wealth. Much of that money could come from selling Tesla shares.

Musk’s stakes in SpaceX, xAI, and Tesla make up that $740 billion figure. Tesla represents a chunk of his holdings. Any sale would likely shake up the stock for a while.

The probability of a Ryanair deal is low. But the Twitter situation proved Musk can and will follow through on these ideas. Tesla shareholders learned that lesson the hard way.

Tesla stock dropped 4.2% on Tuesday. The decline wasn’t about Ryanair though. The broader market took a beating as the S&P 500 fell 2.1% and the Nasdaq dropped 2.4%.

Investors were worried about new tariffs proposed by President Donald Trump related to his bid to acquire Greenland. That weighed on the entire market.

Production Timeline Concerns

Separately, Musk addressed questions about Tesla’s Cybercab robotaxi and Optimus humanoid robot. He warned early production would be “agonizingly slow” before speeding up.

The comment came in response to a post about Cybercab production starting in less than 100 days. Musk explained that production speed depends on complexity. More new parts and manufacturing steps mean slower ramps.

The Cybercab is a two-seater without a steering wheel or pedals. Tesla said it’s on track for volume production in 2026.

Optimus production should hopefully start toward the end of this year. Tesla already launched a limited robotaxi service in Austin using Model Y SUVs with Full Self-Driving software.

Those early operations included a human safety monitor in the passenger seat. In December, Musk said Tesla was testing robotaxis without safety monitors up front.

Musk has called the humanoid robot project central to Tesla’s future. He’s argued it could eventually become bigger than the vehicle business.

Tesla’s $1.39 trillion valuation depends heavily on expectations for self-driving tech and robots. The core business still relies on electric vehicle sales for revenue and profit.

Tesla stock was up 0.5% in premarket trading Wednesday at $421.24. The stock is down 2% over the past 12 months.

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