🤼 Could There Be A Coup Brewing In Tesla’s Boardroom?

In today’s newsletter I discuss a potential coup brewing in Tesla’s boardroom, Walmart has been scared into not displaying tariff charges on items on their website, Duolingo is no “AI-first”, the Kentucky Derby is this weekend, the Washington Commanders is building a new 65,000-seat, $3.7 billion dollar stadium in Washington D.C., and Beyoncé kicks off her Cowboy Carter tourin  LA with her daughters.

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WHAT WE’RE READING

🤼 Could There Be A Coup Brewing In Tesla’s Boardroom?

The recent rumors regarding a potential Tesla board-led search for Elon Musk's CEO replacement has been firmly dismissed by both Elon Musk himself (shocking!) and Tesla's chairperson Robyn Denholm. These reports surfaced against the backdrop of the market’s sentiment against Tesla turning negative. While the company's stock did see a notable 24% jump recently as Elon Musk said he’d be scaling back his involvement in DOGE to instead focus more time on Tesla. The company’s stock has seen a substantial decline from its December 2024 peak of nearly $480 per share to $$288.72 where it’s trading this morning. This volatility underscores the intense scrutiny Tesla faces amidst increasing competition in the electric vehicle market and the potential impact of its leader's diverse engagements, including Elon Musk's advisory role with President Trump.

The fundamental responsibility of any corporate board lies in its fiduciary duty to shareholders. This obligation necessitates a constant evaluation of the company's leadership and strategic direction to ensure long-term value creation. In situations where a CEO's attention is perceived to be significantly diverted, as some analysts have suggested with Elon Musk's various ventures and political involvement, the board is arguably compelled to consider whether this division of focus could negatively impact the company's performance and shareholder interests. The core question becomes whether an "absentee" CEO, however brilliant, can effectively steer a complex and rapidly evolving enterprise like Tesla, especially when external pressures and competitive forces are intensifying.

Despite these considerations and the initial reports, the Tesla board, at least publicly, has expressed unwavering support for Elon Musk's continued leadership. They could have just been potentially covering their own butts against the potential threat of future lawsuits for neglecting to carry out their fiduciary responsibilities as board members, or is there a coup brewing in Tesla’s boardroom?

🧾 Business

The saga of tariffs and online retail took a sharp turn when Amazon briefly considered displaying import charges next to items on their “Amazon Haul” service, which drew immediate scorn from the White House. President Trump called Jeff Bezos directly, leading to a swift retraction of this plan by Amazon.

Talking about a case of “it’s not what you know, it’s who you know.”

Walmart is the latest U.S. company to come out of the blue and say they will not include the added cost of the 145% tariffs on items listed on their website. This came on the heels of both Temu and Shein already beginning to add a substantial 145% tariff tax on all items sold to U.S. consumers. Now consumers have obviously practically stopped buying from both companies due to increased prices. These tariffs, a consequence of the Trump administration's trade policies, are now so substantial that Shein, a fast-fashion giant with approximately $38 billion in yearly revenue, is reportedly reevaluating its plans to go public in the U.S..

Also impacting prices from Temu and Shein is the the end of the "de minimis" exemption on imports under $800 when shipping goods to the U.S.. Now Shein is considering restructuring its U.S. operations, potentially shifting production to countries outside of China to mitigate the tariff impact and salvage their IPO ambitions.

I’m suddenly wondering if these tariffs are truly about protecting American businesses, or just making me feel a little more guilty about my Amazon impulse buys.

🦉 AI

Duolingo announced they are now an "AI-first" company, and will be replacing contractors to instead utilize AI more. They just launched 148 AI-created language courses, more than doubling their offerings. This follows a 51% increase in 2024 in daily active users, and now has over 40 million users. They had a 39% revenue increase to $209.6 million in Q4, totaling $748 million for the year. These are great numbers! Duolingo anticipates bookings exceeding $1 billion in 2025, a financial forecast that's probably a real tear-jerker for the folks who trained the AI.

What a Hoot!

🎤 Entertainment

Beyoncé's highly anticipated Cowboy Carter tour kicked off in Los Angeles, with her daughters Blue Ivy and Rumi joining her on stage. Industry projections estimate the tour could gross over $325 million dollars, helping Beyoncé get one step closer to becoming a billionaire.

Now that Beyoncé's tour are working on her tour, you think she still pays them an allowance?

🐎 Kentucky Derby

The Kentucky Derby is more than a two-minute race - it's a powerful economic force in Kentucky, projected to generate $441 million in economic impact for Louisville in 2025. This substantial figure is fueled by various revenue streams. Beyond ticket sales and hospitality, millions are wagered each year on TwinSpires’ online wagering platform, which handles $20.1 million in bets on the Kentucky Derby race itself.

The purse for the Kentucky Derby is also a significant draw. In 2025 the purse stands at a record $5 million dollars, with the winner taking home a cool $3.1 million dollars. This makes it the richest race in the Triple Crown series.

So, while the horses run for glory and a hefty paycheck, the local Kentucky economy enjoys a rather nice gallop.

🏈 Sports

The Washington Commanders is building a new 65,000-seat, $3.7 billion dollar stadium in Washington D.C. at the site of the old RFK Stadium. The Commanders are committing $2.7 billion dollars to the project, with D.C. taxpayers contributing another $1 billion dollars for infrastructure and parking. According to the Washington Commanders owner Josh Harris, this  is a "once-in-a-generation opportunity," and plans call for housing, retail, and entertainment spaces around the stadium.

Considering Washington D.C.’s current budget shortfall, who needs new schools and libraries when you can have a state-of-the-art stadium?

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irl Media NEWSLETTER is written, edited, and published by Chris Thompson.