California Gov. Gavin Newsom praised Elon Musk as this generation's Thomas Edison — then accused the Tesla CEO of surrendering the electric vehicle market to China.
- "It breaks my heart," Newsom said on a new episode of "The Axios Show," describing Musk as "one of the great disappointments" of our time.
Why it matters: China already holds 70% of the global EV market. Newsom argues Musk — the man who pioneered America's EV industry — is now accelerating that dominance by pivoting Tesla toward robotics.
- "I think this is Trump, not just Elon Musk," Newsom added, referring to the administration's systematic dismantling of federal EV incentives and mandates.
- Newsom called it "the greatest [own] goal" of the next decade — ceding not just market share but supply chains, national security and the future of American auto manufacturing.
Zoom out: Newsom, on a book tour as he prepares a likely run for president, argued it was California's regulatory environment that created the conditions for Musk to become a "multibillionaire, maybe trillionaire."
- Musk still benefits from California's R&D tax credits, Newsom said, even while "turning his back" on the state and embracing a Trump administration hostile to renewable energy.
- He made the comments in an interview with Alex Thompson on "The Axios Show," our series featuring top Axios reporters interviewing newsmakers shaping politics, business, tech, and culture.
The intrigue: Asked about other California tech titans, Newsom praised OpenAI CEO Sam Altman as an innovator who can "look at a mountain" and "see right through it."
- Citing a relationship with Peter Thiel dating to his days as a county supervisor, Newsom called the Palantir founder a "next-level" intellect who has grown increasingly "nihilistic."
- "He shouldn't be put purely in a political box, as I know my party often puts him into," Newsom said of Thiel, a top MAGA donor. "He belongs in many different boxes."
