"Opinions on Elon Musk have taken a turn for the worse along political affiliations," Stifel analyst Stephen Gengaro said.

Elon Musk has long railed against the U.S. government, saying a crushing number of federal investigations and safety programs have stymied Tesla, his electric car company, and its efforts to create fleets of robotaxis and other self-driving automobiles.

Protests have ignited at home and abroad as DOGE crashes through the US administrative state. Elon Musk’s role in carrying out President Donald Trump’s dirty work has triggered a wave of opposition that is spilling over into protests against his flagship company,

The billionaire is leading a group of investors in the unsolicited offer, which complicates the start-up’s plan to raise more money.

The billionaire's attorney, Marc Toberoff, confirmed he submitted the bid for "all assets" of the company on Monday.

Elon Musk and a group of investors have submitted an unsolicited bid of $97.4 billion to take control of the artificial intelligence company behind ChatGPT, OpenAI.