X and Tesla Face Major Declines as Europe Turns Away from Musk
Elon Musk’s X, formerly Twitter, has lost 11 million users in the European Union since October 2024, according to the platform’s latest mandatory transparency report under the EU’s Digital Services Act.
This fall, representing a 10.5% drop in just six months, signals a major shift in European social media behavior. France led the exodus with 2.7 million fewer users, followed by Poland, Germany, and Spain.
Even smaller countries like Lithuania and Luxembourg lost a quarter of their X users. These figures, disclosed directly by X, show a clear trend: Europeans are abandoning the platform at an accelerating rate.
The drop in X’s European user base stands in stark contrast to Musk’s claims of global growth. X’s worldwide monthly active users now stand around 95 million in Europe, down from over 105 million before Musk’s takeover.
Globally, Musk claims 600 million users, but the official EU numbers cast doubt on this figure. The loss of millions in Europe, a key market for advertisers and influence, challenges X’s business model and future relevance.
This European retreat comes as Musk’s business interests face mounting pressure on several fronts. Tesla’s sales in Europe have plummeted.
In the first quarter of 2025, Tesla deliveries dropped 37% compared to the previous year, with Germany seeing a 62% fall, France down 41%, and the Netherlands and Sweden both reporting drops over 50%.
Only the UK saw a small increase. These declines occurred while the overall European electric vehicle market grew, highlighting a specific rejection of Tesla rather than a broader EV slump.
Analysts point to several reasons for these sharp declines. Musk’s close alignment with Donald Trump and his high-profile political interventions have alienated many European consumers.
His public statements and political donations-over $250 million to support Trump and Republicans in 2024-have drawn criticism and may have contributed to falling trust in his brands.
Musk’s role as an advisor to Trump and his leadership of cost-cutting initiatives in the US government have also been widely reported in Europe, often with negative reactions.
Musk’s fortune has mirrored these setbacks. His net worth peaked at $486 billion in December 2024 but dropped to $330 billion by March 2025, a loss of more than $150 billion in three months.
The collapse in Tesla’s stock value, down from $1.5 trillion to below $900 billion, played a major role. SpaceX remains Musk’s most valuable asset, but his influence in Europe is clearly waning.
The numbers tell a simple story: Musk’s strategy has cost him dearly in Europe. Both X and Tesla face shrinking user bases and falling sales, while Musk’s personal wealth has taken a significant hit.
The European market, once a pillar of growth for Musk’s ventures, now represents one of his biggest business challenges.
This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated newsroom system. How we use AI · Report an error · Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief