Most Investors Want to Dump Tesla. I'm Not One of Them.

Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA) has reached significant sales milestones in the second quarter of 2026, reporting $28.2 billion in revenue and surpassing the $100 billion trailing revenue mark for the first time ever. Despite this success, the stock's sentiment remains largely negative, with its share price down 21% this year as of August 27.

The author holds Tesla stock and has no plans to sell, despite the brand's recent setbacks. They acknowledge Tesla's challenges, but also highlight the company's strengths and growth potential. In 2024 and 2025, Tesla's sales declined, but they have rebounded this year. Q2 2026 saw 480,126 vehicle deliveries, a 25% year-over-year increase, with automotive revenue totaling $20.5 billion.

Tesla is the second-largest EV manufacturer, trailing only BYD, which dominates the international market but lacks consumer EV sales in the U.S. due to a 100% tariff. The author praises Tesla's Supercharger network, which accounts for 51% of all DC Fast EV charging ports in the U.S. This dominance has prompted other automakers to adopt Tesla's charging standard.

Beyond automotive sales, Tesla generates $3.1 billion from energy generation and storage in Q2, with record 13.5 GWh of storage deployed. The company is heavily investing in AI and robotics, with plans to start production of Optimus humanoid robots at its Fremont, California, factory and Gigafactory in Austin, Texas. Tesla has also increased its on-site compute capacity in Texas to over 205 megawatts, aiming for nearly 400 megawatts by year-end.

While expensive, with a price-to-earnings ratio of 329 times trailing earnings, the author maintains a long-term bullish stance on Tesla, noting potential revenue growth from AI and robotics. The author emphasizes that Tesla's pivot into these areas may require substantial capital expenditures and higher operating expenses, but the potential upside outweighs current challenges.