Elon Musk
Photo: Gage Skidmore, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (license)
Counted totals by category
Each category is totalled in its own unit; units are never added together.
| Category | Unit | Positive | Negative | Net |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| economy | EUR-2025 | 0 | -120 million | -120 million |
| jobs | jobs | +125,665 | 0 | +125,665 |
| people | lives | 0 | -14 | -14 |
| people | people | +78,000 | -4 | +77,996 |
Overall score 46 (average tab position, 100 = 1st), from Lives #4, People #2, Jobs #11, Economy #9
Influence (reach, not impact): Wikipedia articles in 165 languages (Wikidata, as of 2026-10-18); 8.46 million English Wikipedia page views, 2025-10-01 to 2026-09-30. Not counted in the score.
Counted entries
Approved claims with 2 trusted sources; these drive the totals (counted = scale × credit share).
Positive
| Claim | Sources | Scale | Credit | Counted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starlink (SpaceX) in Ukraine after the 2022 invasion: about 150,000 people used the service each day (Ukraine's digital minister, May 2022) | cnbc.com + wired.com WIRED: 'On May 2, he tweeted that around 150,000 Ukrainians use the service each day.' (snippet only) + en.interfax.com.ua Interfax-Ukraine: 'Starlink's satellite Internet in Ukraine has about 150,000 active users every day, Deputy Prime Minister ... Fedorov has said' | 150,000 | Even split 1/2 est. Approved (estimate): official statement by Ukraine's Deputy PM/Digital Minister Mykhailo Fedorov ('around 150K' daily active users, 'rough data'), full text verified in CNBC; also reported by WIRED and Interfax-Ukraine. Even split 1/2: terminals came from SpaceX and other named suppliers incl. USAID ('a range of stakeholders'). Decision for user: org vs split. | 75,000 |
| Tesla solar + Powerpack system restored full power to Hospital del Niño, San Juan, after Hurricane Maria (Oct 2017); the hospital serves about 3,000 children | abcnews.com + npr.org NPR: 'The hospital offers services to some 3,000 young patients. Tesla's solar system is reportedly providing the hospital with all the electricity it needs.' + bbc.co.uk BBC: Tesla set up solar panels and energy storage batteries at Hospital del Nino (no count) | 3,000 | Organization est. Approved (estimate): ABC News (full text: 'serves about 3,000 children across the island') and NPR ('offers services to some 3,000 young patients', verified in page text). Organization credit: Tesla, Musk CEO. Count = children the hospital serves (sources' framing); not a count of patients treated during the outage. | 3,000 |
| Jobs: Tesla employee headcount worldwide was 125,665 as of 31 Dec 2024 (Form 10-K) | sec.gov + businessinsider.com Total employees worldwide: 125,665 as of the end of 2024. + sec.gov As of December 31, 2024, our employee headcount worldwide was 125,665. | 125,665 | Organization Re-checked under jobs rule: official filing (Tesla 10-K FY2024) + major outlet (Business Insider), both full text. Headcount at one date. Tesla credited alone; Musk CEO. SpaceX not added (private, no filing). | 125,665 |
Negative
| Claim | Sources | Scale | Credit | Counted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tesla (Musk CEO) Autopilot: NHTSA EA22002 found 211 crashes 'resulted in 13 fatal crashes leading to 14 deaths and 49 injuries'; Autopilot design 'not sufficient to maintain drivers' engagement' (2024) | static.nhtsa.gov + nbcnews.com NBC News: 'According to the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation data, 13 fatal collisions evaluated in the probe resulted in the deaths of 14 people.' + static.nhtsa.gov NHTSA ODI closing resume EA22002 | 14 | Organization Approved: official NHTSA finding (EA22002, 25 Apr 2024) that Autopilot design was not sufficient to maintain driver engagement; 13 fatal crashes, 14 deaths. Confirmed by NBC News. Organization credit: Tesla, Musk CEO (no share stated). The 49 injuries are not counted here. | 14 |
| Diaz v. Tesla (N.D. Cal.): juries found Tesla liable for racial harassment of former Fremont factory elevator operator Owen Diaz (1 person); 2023 retrial awarded about $3.2M, upheld Oct 2023 | apnews.com + reuters.com Reuters: 'A federal jury in San Francisco on Monday ordered Tesla Inc to pay about $3.2 million to a Black former employee after he won a racial harassment lawsuit' + reuters.com Reuters: Judge Orrick 'upheld a $3.2 million verdict that a jury awarded to plaintiff Owen Diaz' | 1 | Organization Approved: court verdicts (two juries) against Tesla; AP and Reuters. Organization credit: Tesla, Musk CEO (no share stated). | 1 |
| Cal/OSHA (Apr 2014) cited Tesla for seven violations, $89,000 in fines, after a Nov 2013 release of pressurized molten aluminum at Fremont seriously injured three employees (3 people) | plainsite.org + nbcbayarea.com NBC Bay Area: 'facing $89,000 in fines following an industrial accident that injured three workers' (Cal-OSHA, seven citations) | 3 | Organization Approved: official Cal/OSHA accident-related citation ('three employees who were seriously injured'); confirmed by NBC Bay Area. Organization credit: Tesla, Musk CEO (no share stated). | 3 |
| European Commission DSA decision (5 Dec 2025): X fined EUR 120 million for deceptive blue-checkmark design, opaque ad repository and denying researchers data access | ec.europa.eu + ec.europa.eu Today, the Commission has issued a fine of EUR 120 million to X for breaching its transparency obligations under the Digital Services Act (DSA). + bbc.com Elon Musk's X fined EUR 120m over 'deceptive' blue ticks | 120 million | Organization Official finding; no stay or reversal found. Musk controlling owner of X (bought Oct 2022). | 120 million |
Not counted / unproven
Unproven or rejected claims. They are shown for transparency and do not affect the totals.
Not counted, positive
| Claim | Sources | Scale | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Musk Foundation $480,350 for UV water filtration in all 12 Flint Community Schools buildings (2018); district served more than 4,500 K-12 students | cityofflint.com + freep.com Detroit Free Press: 'The district serves more than 4,500 students K-12.' (snippet only) + mlive.com MLive: 136 hydration stations at 12 buildings unveiled Feb 2022 | 4,500 | unproven |
| Tesla FSD/Autopilot safety claims: Tesla says FSD 'could save more than 32,000 lives' a year in the US and its Vehicle Safety Reports show fewer crashes per mile with Autopilot/FSD engaged | reuters.com + reuters.com Reuters: Tesla presented self-published FSD safety stats to Swedish/Dutch regulators that independent traffic-safety experts called misleading + tesla.com Tesla Vehicle Safety Report (self-reported crash rates, no lives figure) | 0 | unproven |
| Starlink Mini let the 5-person crew of sinking sailboat 'Magic Bus' (~300 mi off Cape Hatteras, Nov 2025) call the US Coast Guard; all 5 rescued by helicopter | starlink.com | 5 | unproven |
| Starlink kit carried by a passenger kept disabled Solomon Islands ferry MV Awka in contact; all 73 aboard rescued (Oct 12, 2026, Temotu Provincial Government) | dailypost.vu | 73 | unproven |
Not counted, negative
| Claim | Sources | Scale | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| SEC settlement (2018): Musk agreed to pay a $20 million civil penalty over 'funding secured' tweets, without admitting or denying allegations; court entered final judgment 16 Oct 2018 | sec.gov + sec.gov Tesla 8-K: 'Tesla and Elon will each pay a civil penalty of $20 million.' (court final judgment 16 Oct 2018) | 0 | unproven |
| SEC Fair Fund from 2018 'funding secured' settlement ($20M Musk + $20M Tesla): $41.53M paid to 3,350 eligible investors with recognized losses (~51.7% of losses) | storage.courtlistener.com + storage.courtlistener.com Court status report (SDNY 1:18-cv-08865): 'The Fair Fund was distributed to Payees (3,350 payments totaling $41,532,229.44) on September 29, 2023.' + reuters.com Reuters (search-index text; page not fetchable): 'the SEC said 3,350 claimants would share the $41.53 million payout, recouping 51.7% of their losses.' | 3,350 | unproven |
| Benavides v. Tesla (S.D. Fla., Aug 2025): jury found Tesla 33% responsible for a 2019 Key Largo Autopilot crash that killed Naibel Benavides Leon and severely injured Dillon Angulo (2 people); $242.57M judgment, upheld Feb 2026, appeal expected | storage.courtlistener.com + cnbc.com CNBC: 'The jury determined Tesla should be held 33% responsible for the fatal crash.' Naibel Benavides died; Dillon Angulo survived with injuries. + reuters.com Reuters (search-index text): 'Tesla was held liable for 33% of the compensatory damages' + storage.courtlistener.com Order denying Tesla's motion for judgment as a matter of law/new trial (20 Feb 2026) | 2 | unproven |
| NLRB (2021) found Tesla unlawfully fired Fremont employee Richard Ortiz (1 person) and ordered reinstatement; 5th Cir. en banc (Oct 2024) vacated the order and remanded | ca5.uscourts.gov + reuters.com Reuters: 5th Circuit on a 9-8 vote threw out the 2021 NLRB order | 1 | unproven |