Tesla CEO Elon Musk views the new Tesla Model Y at its unveiling in Hawthorne, California on March … [+]
Tesla, longtime darling of tech media, is now the enemy.
And, by association, Elon Musk.
The Verge claims the “The vibes are off at Tesla, finding angry Tesla owners to bolster that claim.
“It’s to the point where I’m about to sell our Tesla stock for a loss just to be done with him,” The Verge reports (referring to Musk), quoting someone “who works in the energy space and is based in California” and owns a Model 3.
And a recent Engadget editorial takes aim at Musk because, presumably, he now owns Twitter. “There’s never been a better time to quit Twitter,” according to the tech publication.
Suddenly, Twitter is out, Mastodon is in, says Engadget. “[Mastodon] has become “one of the top platforms of choice for some of Twitter’s most influential — and most followed — users.”
Not all of Engadget readers agree, as many in the comments section made clear.
One commenter, reflecting other comments, notes that for years Engadget “couldn’t get enough” positive Musk news, citing a constant flow of upbeat news about Tesla, SpaceX, flamethrowers, and Tesla solar roofs. Now, articles emphasize “how awful Twitter is.”
And, not to be outdone, a Cnet story is particularly harsh in attacking Musk. The irony seems to be lost on the writer who, to attack Musk, repeats the vitriol and some of the hyperbole often found on left-leaning Twitter feeds.
Los Angeles Times editorial whacks Musk and Tesla
And in the mainstream media it’s pretty easy these days to find editorials — or outright straight news stories — that deliberately seek out comments from Tesla owners who detest Musk.
A Los Angeles Times editorial pulls no punches: Op-Ed: I bought a Tesla to help the environment. Now, I’m embarrassed to drive it
In short, it’s shameful to own a Tesla because Elon Musk “has apparently swung to the far right,” John Blumenthal writes in the LA Times.
“Because of the recent revelation of Elon Musk’s political views — all of which I abhor — I’m starting to worry about what sort of political statement the car is making. Will people see me as a symbol of right-wing environmentalism, a living oxymoron?” — Blumenthal writes.
Again, more than a few LA Times readers disagree.
Despite being a leader in green energy and electric cars (which attract left-leaning “green” car buyers), Tesla has fallen out of favor because “Musk has said things that don’t fall in line with the ideology of Democrats,” writes one person in the comments section.
In other words, for some tech journalists, it’s not as much about the car as it is about politics (and what friends may think).
It’s not just the the stock price
The recent stock market meltdown has hit many of the top tech companies hard, not just Tesla. That includes American EV makers such as Rivian and Lucid.
So, that’s not a plausible reason to suddenly go negative on Tesla.
Criticism of Twitter is warranted but many of the harshest articles focus on Musk’s purported lurch to the right, not the company.
Tesla will continue to be popular (it’s the other side that needs convincing)
Tech and mainstream media criticism of Musk and Tesla will have little effect on the car-buying American public.
Where I live in Los Angeles, a Tesla has become a status symbol. Four of my immediate neighbors own a Tesla and that number has increased in the past 3 months to roughly a dozen if I include not-so-immediate neighbors.
A few Musk-loathing tech journalists won’t have an impact on the deep-rooted consumerism of Americans. If a car buyer opts for a Chevy Bolt instead of a Tesla, price will be the deciding factor not politics.
Ironically, the only large monolithic block of American car buyers who won’t buy a Tesla — or an electric car — for political reasons are conservatives, who have a longstanding disdain of hybrids (think: Prius) and think EVs like Tesla are for tree-hugging lefties.
So, in effect, tech journalists are preaching to the choir but not the choir they would necessarily like to reach.