Elon Musk Expresses Disappointment After His Old Partner & SpaceX Cofounder Reveals He Drives a Problem-Ridden Porsche Taycan Rather Than a Tesla Vehicle

Elon Musk has expressed his disappointment after one of his earliest business partners and lead engineers revealed the various issues he is facing with his Porsche Taycan.

Musk’s business partner, Tom Mueller, is one of the earliest employees at SpaceX, which is Musk’s space venture.

Tom was not only one of the early employees at SpaceX, but he also served as the head of rocket propulsion. The personal prototype rocket engine he developed in his garage evolved into the Merlin engine, which currently powers all of SpaceX’s commercial and government missions.

As an early employee and SpaceX co-founder, Tom has made a lot of money as the company’s valuation has grown to over $350 billion.

However, rather than using his SpaceX fortune to help his old business partner Elon Musk by buying a Tesla, Tom has opted to drive a Porsche Taycan.

Tom says he chose a Porsche Taycan over a Tesla Model S because the former offers a superior driving experience; however, Musk and early investors from Tesla and SpaceX are urging Tom to purchase a Tesla after he disclosed the numerous issues he has encountered with his Porsche Taycan.

Tom recently shared that after four months in the shop and a complete battery pack replacement, his Porsche Taycan is finally back with him.

This is bad enough; however, Tom adds that this is the second battery pack replacement his Porsche Taycan has needed, noting that the all-electric sedan has spent a total of 8 months undergoing repairs since he bought it.

This is definitely not ideal, and the frustrated Porsche owner went on X to share his disappointment.

Tom writes…

“My Porsche Taycan is finally back after 4 months in the shop, a total of almost 8 months between two battery replacements.”

Below his post, Tom included a picture of his green Porsche Taycan sitting in a company parking lot.

In response to Tom’s post, Elon Musk replied with an emoji, clearly conveying his disappointment regarding the extended time required to repair his Porsche Taycan and the need for two separate battery pack replacements.

😑
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 29, 2025

However, despite amplifying the issue with the Porsche Taycan, Musk still stopped short of recommending that Tom replace his Porsche with a Tesla.

However, since Tom is one of the early heroes of SpaceX and has a close relationship with Elon Musk, many Tesla fans and investors tried to persuade the rocket engineer to swap his Porsche Taycan for a Model S.

Specifically, early Tesla and SpaceX investor, former Tesla board member, and current SpaceX board member Steve Jurvetson urged Tom to replace his problematic Porsche Taycan with a Tesla Model S Plaid.

Steve writes…

“Upgrade that junk to a Tesla Model S Plaid.”

However, in response, Tom Mueller declines Steve’s recommendation. Tom mentions that he has nothing against Tesla and even recently purchased a Model S Plaid for his wife, Linda. 

However, he states that he won’t be making the shift for himself because he doesn’t believe a Tesla Model S drives as well as a Porsche Taycan.

Tom writes…

“I just bought a Model S for Linda with FSD.  Love it, but it doesn't drive as nice as the Porsche.”

After Elon Musk expressed his disappointment with Tom’s problematic Porsche Taycan, Steve once again quoted his original post and replied to Musk, noting that he had tried to convince Tom to purchase a Tesla.

Steve simply writes…

“I tried.”

Looking at the entire back and forth, it’s understandable why Elon Musk and the Tesla community deem an eight-month repair time and two battery pack replacements unacceptable for an EV.

However, in light of his disappointment with the Porsche Taycan, Elon Musk should also consider addressing the reliability issues impacting Tesla vehicles, particularly the Cybertruck.

The Cybertruck is currently undergoing its eighth physical recall mandated by safety regulators in the U.S., and a widespread high-speed instability issue is emerging that could lead to a ninth recall.

For many EV buyers, reliability and driving experience are key concerns: something Michael recently experienced firsthand while helping his 82-year-old mom pick up her 2025 Tesla Model 3. Despite the ongoing competition between brands like Tesla and Porsche, Tesla’s latest Model 3 update brings some compelling improvements that make it a strong contender for those seeking a balance between performance, technology, and dependability.

Overall, it’s interesting to see how Musk and other Tesla fans reacted to the reliability issues of a Porsche Taycan. However, please let me know what you think in the comments. Share your ideas by clicking the “Add new comment” button below. Also, make sure to visit our site, torquenews.com/Tesla, regularly for the latest updates.

Image: Courtesy of Porsche USA & Tesla, Inc.

For more information, check out: A Tesla Cybertruck Owner Says Carvana Offered Him $59,400 for his 3 Month Old Cybertruck With Only 2,000 Miles – “A Few Weeks Ago They Were Offering $80,000”

Tinsae Aregay has been following Tesla and the evolution of the EV space daily for several years. He covers everything about Tesla, from the cars to Elon Musk, the energy business, and autonomy. Follow Tinsae on Twitter at @TinsaeAregay for daily Tesla news.