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Palantir CEO Alex Karp defends Elon Musk over salute controversy

Credit: Elon Musk/X

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Elon Musk is definitely one of the world’s most polarizing figures today. But even if the Tesla CEO has been quite literally dubbed as “Public Enemy Number 2” by some media outlets, Musk has seen some support.

Among the most recent ones who expressed their support for Musk was Palantir CEO Alex Karp.

Musk controversies and support:

  • Musk has always been controversial, but his polarizing nature became even more prominent following his support for U.S. President Donald Trump.
  • Musk’s “I give my heart to you” salute during Trump’s post-inauguration rally also resulted in critics declaring Musk a Nazi.
  • Several key individuals have come to Musk’s defense, including Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who argued that the CEO was not antisemitic.
  • “Elon Musk is being falsely smeared. Elon is a great friend of Israel. He visited Israel after the October 7 massacre in which Hamas terrorists committed the worst atrocity against the Jewish people since the Holocaust,” Netanyahu wrote in a post on X.

Palantir CEO’s support:

  • As per Sara Eisen of CNBC, Palantir CEO Alex Karp has also come to Musk’s defense. 
  • Karp noted that the idea of Elon Musk being a Nazi is absurd.
  • “The two CEOs that went to Israel who run publicly traded companies are Elon and I. whatever you think of Elon, calling him a Nazi, especially since it seems to be highly correlated to having been supportive of essentially the Hamas wing of the terrorist movement in some way…is completely absurd and like a complete rewrite of history,” Karp noted.
  • Elon Musk responded positively to Karp’s support, stating in an X post that “Alex Karp is awesome.”

Don’t hesitate to contact us with news tips. Just send a message to simon@teslarati.com to give us a heads up.

Simon is an experienced automotive reporter with a passion for electric cars and clean energy. Fascinated by the world envisioned by Elon Musk, he hopes to make it to Mars (at least as a tourist) someday. For stories or tips--or even to just say a simple hello--send a message to his email, simon@teslarati.com or his handle on X, @ResidentSponge.

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Elon Musk

Elon Musk just bought $1 billion in Tesla stock, his biggest purchase ever

Prior to this latest move, Musk’s most recent purchase was for about 200,000 shares worth $10 million in 2020.

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Gage Skidmore from Surprise, AZ, United States of America, CC BY-SA 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons


Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) shares rose on Monday after CEO Elon Musk disclosed a rare insider purchase of company stock worth about $1 billion. 

A filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) revealed that Musk acquired 2.57 million shares last Friday at various prices. The move represents Musk’s largest TSLA purchase ever by value, as per Verity data.

Elon Musk’s TSLA purchase

The disclosure sent Tesla shares up more than 8% in premarket trading Monday, as investors read the purchase as a notable vote of confidence, as stated in a CNBC report. Tesla stock had closed slightly lower Friday but remains more than 25% higher over the past three months. It should be noted that prior to this latest move, Musk’s most recent purchase was for about 200,000 shares worth $10 million in 2020.

Market watchers say the purchase could help shore up investor sentiment amid a volatile year for TSLA stock. Shares have faced pressure from a variety of factors, from year-over-year sales challenges due to the new Model Y changeover, political controversies tied to Musk, and reduced U.S. incentives for EVs under the Trump administration. Nevertheless, analysts such as Wedbush’s Dan Ives stated that Musk’s purchase was a “huge sign of confidence for Tesla bulls and shows Musk is doubling down on his Tesla A.I. bet.”

Tesla and Elon Musk

Musk already owns about 13% of Tesla, and his latest purchase comes as the company prepares for a key shareholder vote in November. Investors will decide whether to approve a compensation package for Musk that could ultimately be worth as much as $975 billion if ambitious market value milestones are achieved. The package has a long-term target of pushing Tesla’s market capitalization to $8.5 trillion, compared with about $1.3 trillion at Friday’s close.

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Wall Street’s current consensus price target still implies a roughly 20% decline from current levels, though some Tesla bulls remain optimistic that the company could shift its focus toward autonomy, AI, and robotics. Musk has also asked shareholders to approve an investment into his latest venture, xAI.

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Elon Musk

Tesla Board Chair discusses what is being done to protect CEO Elon Musk

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Credit: xAI

Tesla Board Chair Robyn Denholm met with Bloomberg this morning to discuss a variety of topics, but perhaps one of the most interesting was her comments on what is being done to protect company CEO Elon Musk.

After the assassination of right-wing political commentator Charlie Kirk this week, there have been concerns about Musk’s safety, as well as that of other high-profile business leaders and political figures.

Earlier this week, Musk said himself that his security detail would be increased significantly following Kirk’s death, a move that many investors and fans of the company had requested because of political violence.

Elon Musk assures Tesla investors he will enhance his security detail

“Definitely need to enhance security,” Musk said. Tesla spent $3.3 million on Musk’s security in 2024 and January and February 2025. For reference, Meta spent over $27 million on Mark Zuckerberg’s security last year, which is higher than any other tech CEO.

During Denholm’s appearance on Bloomberg TV earlier today, she stated that the company has been focused on Musk’s security detail for “many years,” especially considering he is one of the richest people on Earth and holds an incredible amount of influence.

“It is something that we take very seriously; he takes it very seriously as well. So, again, from a board perspective, it is something we’ve discussed at length,” Denholm said.

Denholm added that she believes “there is not anyone in a boardroom that is not touched by what has happened with Charlie Kirk.”

Although Musk’s political involvement has toned down significantly in the past, he still has enemies, especially based on groups that oppose him and the company specifically. Based on this week’s events, it feels that increased security is a necessary expense Tesla must account for.

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Elon Musk

Elon Musk assures Tesla investors he will enhance his security detail

Musk’s comments were posted on X in the aftermath of the slaying of conservative commentator Charlie Kirk.

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MINISTÉRIO DAS COMUNICAÇÕES, CC BY 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

Tesla CEO Elon Musk has assured TSLA investors that he would be enhancing his security detail. 

Musk’s comments were posted on X in the aftermath of the slaying of conservative commentator Charlie Kirk.

Aggressive critics

Kirk was slain during a speaking engagement at Utah Valley University as part of Turning Point USA’s first event on a tour of college campuses, as noted in a Politico report. Kirk was a notable voice in the conservative movement and a close ally of the Trump administration, which led to aggressive critics openly wishing him harm. 

Elon Musk, due to his contributions to the Trump campaign and his later work with the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), has also attracted a substantial amount of vitriol from critics. Tesla owners and the company itself suffered attacks due to critics’ anger towards Musk, with several stores and cars being vandalized or victimized in arson attacks.

Despite having stepped back from his work with DOGE, Musk remains a target among critics online, with some still calling for the CEO to get the “Luigi Mangione” treatment. These sentiments were notable after Kirk’s slaying, with some users on platforms such as Reddit and Bluesky arguing that Musk or Donald Trump should be next after Kirk. 

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Concerns and assurances

In the aftermath of Kirk’s slaying, numerous Tesla retail investors called on the company’s Board of Directors to bolster Elon Musk’s security detail. With some social media users openly calling for Musk to be slain next, such a request made sense. This was highlighted by Tesla investor Alexandra Merz, who called on the Tesla Board to drastically increase the company’s budget for Elon Musk’s security, which currently stands at just $3.3 million annually, or about $235,000 per month.

In response to the Tesla investor’s comments, Musk responded that he would “definitely need to enhance security.” Musk’s response was well appreciated by the Tesla and electric vehicle community as a whole, with some users on X stating that the CEO must be kept safe.

Musk is a key part of Tesla, and this was highlighted in the company’s proposed 2025 CEO performance award, which outlines a path towards the company attaining a market cap of $8.5 trillion. In its filing, Tesla highlighted that Elon Musk’s leadership is a fundamental part of the company and its future. 

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