synopsis

Samantha Harris, Tesla's Global Sustainability Lead, was scheduled to speak at the Regenerative Future conference, planned for May 16-17 in Rome by the European Institute of Innovation and Sustainability (EIIS).

Tesla Inc. (TSLA) senior executive Samantha Harris canceled her trip to Rome in May to attend a conference owing to security concerns, Reuters reported on Wednesday.

Harris, Tesla's Global Sustainability Lead, was scheduled to speak at the Regenerative Future conference in Rome on May 16-17, hosted by the European Institute of Innovation for Sustainability (EIIS).

However, Harris told EIIS in an email seen by Reuters that she will not be able to attend.

“Given the recent protests and violence against Tesla, and now in Rome, I've been asked to hold my external presence and travel…,” Harris wrote, as per the report.

Tesla cars and infrastructure have been the target of protestors in recent times, reportedly due to CEO Elon Musk’s right-wing activism.

Musk currently holds a position in the Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency, which aims to cut federal spending. On Tuesday, however, Musk said he will take a step back from his responsibilities at DOGE.

The Tesla CEO said he would continue to spend "a day or two per week on government matters for as long as the President would like me to, as long as it is useful."

"But starting next month, I will be allocating far more of my time to Tesla now that the major work of establishing the Department of Government Efficiency is done," he added.

Musk has also previously expressed support for the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party in Germany.

In March, an overnight fire at a Tesla dealership in Rome destroyed 17 cars. Musk then termed it an act of “terrorism.”

Earlier this month, Tesla reported first-quarter deliveries of 336,681 units, marking a nearly 13% dip from the corresponding quarter of 2024 and representing the company’s worst quarterly performance in at least two years.

Tesla reported a 71% plunge in its first-quarter (Q1) profit to $0.27 per share and a 9% drop in total revenue to $19.34 billion on Tuesday, missing Wall Street estimates by a wide margin.

On Stocktwits, retail sentiment around Tesla jumped from ‘bearish’ to ‘neutral’ territory over the past 24 hours while message volume rose from ‘low’ to ‘normal’ levels.

TSLA's Sentiment Meter and Message Volume as of 1:55 p.m. ET on April 23, 2025 | Source: Stocktwits

TSLA stock is down by over 32% so far this year, but rose by about 78% over the past 12 months. 

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