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https://slate.com/business/2025/02/elon-musk-tesla-stock-valuation-consumer-boycott.html>
"There are myriad reasons to loathe Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla, who has become
a top ally of Donald Trump.
OG haters have long accused Musk of endangering road users by exaggerating the
capabilities of Tesla’s navigation assistance systems, misleadingly named
Autopilot and Full-Self Driving. The ranks of the angry have steadily grown,
fueled by Musk’s habit of amplifying trans-bashing and antisemitism as well as
his demolition of Twitter. Now, as Musk cozies up to extremists across Europe,
wields the Department of Government Efficiency as a wrecking ball against the
federal government, and generally acts as an unelected leader, the furor is
reaching a fever pitch.
The signs are everywhere. Tesla owners are scrambling to buy bumper stickers
with messages like “Shut Up Elon” and “I Bought This Before Elon Went Crazy”;
activists are labeling the vehicles “swasticars.” Anti-Musk graffiti has
appeared the world over, from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, to Wellington, New
Zealand, to The Hague. In Berlin, police are trying to figure out who projected
an image of Musk’s Nazi salute along with the words Heil Tesla on the side of
the city’s Tesla factory.
It might feel as if Musk is untouchable. But he’s not. And this growing
discontent can be channeled into concrete action. If you want Musk to feel your
rage, don’t buy a Tesla. And if you already own one, consider selling it.
Musk’s stake in Tesla comprises the lion’s share of his wealth. He can laugh
off a few protesters, but if consumers launch a sustained boycott, both Musk
and his car company could find themselves in dire straits. Tesla was already in
a precarious position before Musk’s flirtation with the far right turned into
an all-out embrace. Nosediving sales would be an incapacitating blow."
Via Rod Mesa and Kenny Chaffin.
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
