The WSJ article detailed that approximately a month ago, Tesla’s board initiated efforts to find Musk’s successor, seeking assistance from “several” executive search firms and ultimately selecting one to spearhead the search.

During the same period, there were reports suggesting the board urged Musk to dedicate more attention to Tesla instead of focusing on DOGE, and to announce this publicly. In a recent earnings call, Musk affirmed his commitment by stating he would “allocate far more” of his time to Tesla starting in May. The company has been grappling with decreased sales, lower revenues, and a significant brand image issue since Musk increased his involvement with Donald Trump and advocated for significant government budget cuts. However, this shift could potentially benefit Tesla and Musk’s other ventures.

Tesla moved quickly to reject the Journal’s report, publishing a rebuttal on X from board chair Robyn Denholm, who said the directors are “highly confident” in Musk’s ability to lead Tesla. She both denied that the board had initiated a CEO search, and claimed that “this was communicated to the media before the report was published.” The WSJ has not yet updated its story or responded to Denholm’s statement, though notes in its original report that it reached out to Musk for comment and didn’t receive any.

Musk himself later tweeted his thoughts, accusing the paper of an “EXTREMELY BAD BREACH OF ETHICS,” and suggesting that it had been sent an “unequivocal denial beforehand.”