Tesla Stock Rises After Elon Musk Urges Employees To ‘Hang On’ To Their Stock – Retail Confidence Edges Higher

Tesla Inc. (TSLA) shares rose on Friday morning after CEO Elon Musk urged employees to "hang on" to their stock in an all-hands meeting broadcast on social media platform X (formerly Twitter).

Tesla shares have dropped by over 35% this year after initial investor optimism about a favorable regulatory environment under President Trump's administration faded. Musk, however, on late Thursday urged employees to "hang on to your stock."

"There are times when there are rocky moments," Musk told Tesla employees. "...the future is incredibly bright and exciting, and we're going to do things that no one has even dreamed of."

Musk said in the meeting that Tesla would build its 10 millionth vehicle next year and that construction of the company's factory dedicated to the production of its Semi truck will be completed this year.

He said the company has already begun pilot production of its humanoid robot, nicknamed Optimus, at its Fremont factory.

Musk added that the company is looking to build 5,000 units of the robot this year before selling them to external customers next year.

The CEO also addressed the recent increase in attacks against Tesla vehicles in the U.S. as part of protests against his role in the Trump administration. The CEO said that burning Tesla vehicles is "a bit unreasonable."

Meanwhile, CNBC reported on Thursday, citing data from car shopping site Edmunds, that Tesla owners traded in a record number of vehicles this month amidst the protests.

Tesla bull Dan Ives applauded the meeting on Thursday as a "big first step for Musk."

"Challenges clearly remain for Musk and Tesla to navigate this volatile period, but last night was the first step in doing this for employees, shareholders, and partners... We expect Musk to take a small step back from DOGE over the coming months with more focus on Tesla," he said in a post on X.

"Brand is key to Tesla and it's very important to make sure the current brand crisis does not morph into a permanent black eye for the Tesla brand," he wrote.

Tesla reported global deliveries of 1.79 million vehicles in 2024, down from full-year deliveries of 1.81 million in 2023, marking its first decline in over a decade.

Musk said in October that he expects a 20% to 30% increase in deliveries in 2025. However, the CEO didn't reiterate the target during the company's fourth-quarter earnings in January. Instead, the company said that it expects the vehicle business to "return to growth" in 2025.

Tesla also said that its plans for new vehicles, including more affordable ones, remain "on track" to start production in the first half.

The company launched a refreshed version of its best-selling Model Y SUV earlier this year and started delivering the vehicle to customers in the U.S. earlier this month.

Musk has previously warned that the company would lose production for a few days in the first quarter as it prepares its factories to produce the refreshed vehicle.

On Stocktwits, retail sentiment surrounding Tesla's stock improved marginally but continued to trend in the 'bearish' territory (42/100) accompanied by 'high' message volume.

TSLA's Sentiment Meter and Message Volume as of 11:40 a.m. ET on March 21, 2025 | Source: Stocktwits

A Stocktwits user with a bearish view opined that the $230 mark will appear huge next month.

However, another user expressed optimism about the shares touching $300 next week.

Tesla shares are down by over 35% this year but have gained over 38% over the past 12 months.

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