Elon Musk, the tech billionaire, has seen a significant decline in the reputation of his companies, Tesla Motors and SpaceX, according to a recent survey. A poll conducted by Axios and Harris Poll assessed the reputation of 100 “most visible” American brands by giving each one a score based on various performance categories.
The 2025 results, released on Tuesday, show notable changes. In 2021, SpaceX held the 5th spot with a score of 81.1, while Tesla was in 8th place, scoring 80.2. However, by 2025, SpaceX dropped to 86th with a score of 66.4, and Tesla fell to 95th, earning only 61.3.
SpaceX seems to have fallen off the “most visible” list after a preliminary investigation, whereas Tesla’s declining reputation began earlier, with a ranking of No. 63 last year.
This decline in reputation coincides with Musk adopting a more public and controversial role, which includes supporting President Trump’s 2024 campaign and taking on a senior advisory position in the White House.
His actions have led to significant scrutiny, especially regarding Tesla, which faced backlash related to Musk’s political engagements. Recently, he mentioned stepping back from his political ties to concentrate on his business, a decision he shared just before announcing plans to reduce his political funding.
In the survey, participants included 16,585 Americans, conducted between March 6 and 22, with a margin of error of 2.5 percentage points.
