But Tesla's troubles, though levered to Musk, may be deeper than Musk's distractions, such as politics, gaming, and colonizing Mars. A record fourth quarter delivery report in January seemed to indicate all was well with Tesla, but it doesn't tell the full story.

But then, the news that investors had been hoping for; Musk announced he would be stepping away from government to focus on his businesses. Tesla stock recovered to as high as $356, although the ride remains uncomfortable. Musk also began raising capital for his artificial intelligence business xAI Corp., said to have a $5 billion target.