# Is it possible that Tesla's recent complications stem from Elon Musk's toxicity? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Tags:** elon-musk\ **Created:** [April 27, 2023, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-that-teslas-recent-complications-stem-from-elon-musks-toxicity/983290 "2023-04-27T20:12:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Heracles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heracles/32/487_2.png) [@Heracles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Heracles)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2023, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-that-teslas-recent-complications-stem-from-elon-musks-toxicity/983290/1 "2023-04-27T20:12:17Z")
We have a Tesla in the driveway. But I would not buy another one because (a) I don’t particularly agree with the company’s “move fast and break pedestrians” attitude, and (b) the more I see of Elon Musk, the more I specifically don’t want to give him more money. Tesla have been lowering car prices in recent months, in a pretty unpredictable fashion. It’s unclear if they’re trying to undermine the competition based on their production capacity, or if they’re having trouble selling vehicles. Some articles claim their inventory is at record highs, but who knows. Is it possible that the natural user base for Tesla cars in North America (vaguely lefty folks) is shifting to other brands because of Musk himself? ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2023, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-that-teslas-recent-complications-stem-from-elon-musks-toxicity/983290/2 "2023-04-27T20:15:23Z")
> [@Heracles](#): > > Is it possible that the natural user base for Tesla cars in North America (vaguely lefty folks) is shifting to other brands because of Musk himself? Yes. I think that is happening. But, one other reason is the recent addition of so many alternatives. When we were shopping for an EV just a few years ago, there was Tesla and a very few others. I’m happy with our Model X, but would probably avoid Tesla in the future for various reasons, including Musk. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2023, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-that-teslas-recent-complications-stem-from-elon-musks-toxicity/983290/3 "2023-04-27T21:17:45Z")
> [@Heracles](#): > > Is it possible that the natural user base for Tesla cars in North America (vaguely lefty folks) is shifting to other brands because of Musk himself? “Possible”? ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2023, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-that-teslas-recent-complications-stem-from-elon-musks-toxicity/983290/4 "2023-04-27T21:24:58Z")
To Musk’s credit, he is destroying Twitter. That counts in his favor. ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2023, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-that-teslas-recent-complications-stem-from-elon-musks-toxicity/983290/5 "2023-04-27T22:00:39Z")
> [@Procrustus](#): > > Yes. I think that is happening. But, one other reason is the recent addition of so many alternatives. Many of which are cheaper, better supported, and come from manufacturers which don’t have mercurial and unreliable service and maintenance support. I’m sure there are a base of people who won’t buy a Tesla specifically because of Elon Musk’s behavior and statements (and I’m one of them) but there are also just many options out there that are a better fit for peoples’ needs and budget. > [@Chronos](#): > > To Musk’s credit, he is destroying Twitter. That counts in his favor. Well, it’s still up and (mostly) working, and becoming a welcoming place to the sort of people I’d rather not see have unfettered access to a widely referenced social media platform. If he’s going to burn it down I’d prefer he do it faster. Stranger ---
**Author:** ![Pardel-Lux](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pardel-lux/32/20182_2.png) [@Pardel-Lux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pardel-Lux)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2023, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-that-teslas-recent-complications-stem-from-elon-musks-toxicity/983290/6 "2023-04-27T22:03:02Z")
But is he doing it on purpose or is it just a happy unintended outcome? ---
**Author:** ![echoreply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/echoreply/32/3641_2.png) [@echoreply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/echoreply)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2023, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-that-teslas-recent-complications-stem-from-elon-musks-toxicity/983290/7 "2023-04-27T22:05:08Z")
I think it’s complicated, but Musk’s negative public image is certainly part of it. I recently saw a picture of a Model 3 with a bumper sticker that said something similar to “I bought before I knew what he was like”. If knew where I’d seen it, I’d link it. As to whether Tesla is having problems or not I also think is very difficult to trust. It is claimed they have 15 days of inventory, and supposedly that is a lot. The article I read said that was bad, but also had a “look what Musk has caused” tone. At the same time I’ve also seen that the Model Y was the best selling passenger car in the world and in Europe last year. I’m not sure exactly what passenger car means. Does that include SUVs, light trucks, four-door light trucks? I’m sure there is a standard auto-industry definition, but when an article talks about the Model Y conquering all comers, without defining things, it makes me mistrust it a bit. As for the car, my Model 3 is 5 years old, and still gets more miles per kw/h than new cars from other companies. > [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](#): > > better supported, and come from manufacturers which don’t have mercurial and unreliable service and maintenance support I think this is greatly exaggerated. Tesla support and service has in my experience been pretty good. There was a time when their problem was just too much demand and not enough service, which caused delays. Once getting into service, it has been good. The only services I had to pay for where reasonably priced. My only other real experience with service and support for a new car was VW, where I dealt with all of the standard things like corporate lying, the dealer lying, and other typical complaints. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.E](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mr.e/32/8932_2.png) [@Mr.E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.E)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2023, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-that-teslas-recent-complications-stem-from-elon-musks-toxicity/983290/8 "2023-04-27T22:18:46Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > To Musk’s credit, he is destroying Twitter. That counts in his favor. If he had shut it down immediately the second he walked in the door, I would have grudgingly admired that. ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2023, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-that-teslas-recent-complications-stem-from-elon-musks-toxicity/983290/9 "2023-04-27T22:23:25Z")
> [@Mr.E](#): > > If he had shut it down immediately the second he walked in the door, I would have grudgingly admired that. Well, he did try to ‘sink’ it. [![](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/content/dam/business/2022/10/28/TELEMMGLPICT000314240111_trans_NvBQzQNjv4BqyJoUfJfwabAnOEMGRrfiIBh8gLiAkyv372f1TOpgK80.jpeg?imwidth=680) ](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/content/dam/business/2022/10/28/TELEMMGLPICT000314240111_trans_NvBQzQNjv4BqyJoUfJfwabAnOEMGRrfiIBh8gLiAkyv372f1TOpgK80.jpeg?imwidth=680) Stranger ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2023, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-that-teslas-recent-complications-stem-from-elon-musks-toxicity/983290/10 "2023-04-27T22:44:09Z")
> [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](#): > > Many of which are cheaper, better supported, and come from manufacturers which don’t have mercurial and unreliable service and maintenance support. I’m sure there are a base of people who won’t buy a Tesla specifically because of Elon Musk’s behavior and statements (and I’m one of them) but there are also just many options out there that are a better fit for peoples’ needs and budget. Yeah, he’s having his very public melt down and turning off potential buyers precisely at a time when there are lots of alternatives to his product coming on the market. ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2023, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-that-teslas-recent-complications-stem-from-elon-musks-toxicity/983290/11 "2023-04-27T23:25:07Z")
This has not been lost on Tesla shareholders: > **[Elon Musk is ‘distracted’ and Tesla’s ‘toxic culture’ and ‘human rights...](https://fortune.com/2023/04/26/tesla-investors-say-musk-distracted-allege-human-rights-labor-issues/)** > > Tesla CEO Elon Musk is “overcommitted at a time when the company faces critical challenges, including increased competition, regulatory scrutiny, and a stock slide,” an institutional shareholder group says. Stranger ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2023, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-that-teslas-recent-complications-stem-from-elon-musks-toxicity/983290/12 "2023-04-28T00:38:42Z")
One article said that Musk’s behavior turned Tesla cars into a rolling MAGA hat and the problem is that MAGAts don’t drive electric cars. ---
**Author:** ![HMS\_Irruncible](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hms_irruncible/32/7394_2.png) [@HMS\_Irruncible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HMS_Irruncible)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2023, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-that-teslas-recent-complications-stem-from-elon-musks-toxicity/983290/13 "2023-04-28T00:55:53Z")
I can tell you that a year ago I was pondering buying a Tesla, but after becoming acquainted with Musk via his Twitter-related idiocy, I’ll never give him a dollar of my money, and I’ll never trust any product with his fingerprints on it. He bought Twitter thinking he could suppress and control negative online chatter about his products. He was right about that, but ironically his biggest problem is something he can’t seem to control at all: his own toxic, stupid mouth. ---
**Author:** ![echoreply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/echoreply/32/3641_2.png) [@echoreply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/echoreply)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2023, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-that-teslas-recent-complications-stem-from-elon-musks-toxicity/983290/14 "2023-04-28T03:17:33Z")
At one time there was probably a need for Tesla to have a leader who was loud and could keep the company in the news with hype and promises. A bunch of really good engineers that could meet a lot of those promises was _also_ necessary. Now, the best thing that could happen to Tesla (and probably EVs in general) is for Musk to step down, divest, and let somebody else run it. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2023, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-that-teslas-recent-complications-stem-from-elon-musks-toxicity/983290/15 "2023-04-28T03:33:05Z")
Musk is hardly a MAGA supporter so it’s strange watching all the virtue signaling on the patron saint of EV’s. Without Musk the market would be at least a decade behind what it is today and is driving force behind the massive shift we’re seeing in the market. He is singularly responsible for that at a time when EV’s are considered to be on the forefront of global warming solutions. I’ve never been a fan of the way Tesla cars are structured with direct interface with the company. It has allowed many useful upgrades but I feel it’s something that is subject to 3rd party hacking. Time will tell on that. But having said that I’ve been impressed with the fact that he’s building for the future. Tesla is on the cutting edge of batteries and electric motors which may end up in other EV brands in the future. Particularly if we part company with China in a war over Taiwan. His new motors will use little or no rare earth magnets which are mostly sourced from China. He saw the writing on the wall before anyone else. As for Musk himself his early intervention in the Ukrainian war is something above politics and I have to admire him for that. And there isn’t another person on the planet who has singularly done more for space exploration than Musk. ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2023, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-that-teslas-recent-complications-stem-from-elon-musks-toxicity/983290/16 "2023-04-28T03:39:42Z")
> [@Magiver](#): > > Musk is hardly a MAGA supporter…. > **[Elon Musk Says Trump Will Win ‘Landslide Victory’ If Indicted](https://www.forbes.com/sites/mattnovak/2023/03/18/elon-musk-says-trump-will-win-landside-victory-if-indicted/?sh=5c7119dc28ad)** > > Elon Musk, the billionaire CEO of several companies, claims Donald Trump will win the 2024 presidential election if the former president is indicted. Musk is a wanna-be [Frederich Flick](https://www.britannica.com/biography/Friedrich-Flick) to Trump’s Hitler, and at this point I don’t care if it gets me banned to repeat such an obvious truth. Stranger ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2023, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-that-teslas-recent-complications-stem-from-elon-musks-toxicity/983290/17 "2023-04-28T03:44:21Z")
That’s a prediction of the effect of the trial and not an endorsement of Trump. ``` Elon Musk has given $574,500 to Republicans and $542,000 to the Democrats, per OpenSecrets. His donations have gone to politicians, parties, PACs, and referendum campaigns. Musk's biggest single contribution of $50,000 was to the Democrat Rahm Emmanuel in 2015. ``` ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2023, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-that-teslas-recent-complications-stem-from-elon-musks-toxicity/983290/18 "2023-04-28T04:17:03Z")
Musk is willing to fondle anyone who will give him advantage. Stranger ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2023, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-that-teslas-recent-complications-stem-from-elon-musks-toxicity/983290/19 "2023-04-28T19:10:16Z")
> [@Magiver](#): > > Musk is hardly a MAGA supporter so it’s strange watching all the virtue signaling on the patron saint of EV’s. Why in the world would you think being a MAGA supporter is the only reason people might not want to financially support someone? It’s not like the concept of a boycott didn’t exist before 2016. What Musk thinks about Trump or Trumpism is irrelevant to why people hate him. He’s an immature, colossal troll who claims to support freedom of speech, even claiming he doesn’t want the elite to have more reach, while then making people pay for more reach and banning accounts he doesn’t like. He’s going through and dismantling the parts of Twitter that were good, that made it a useful public service, while constantly breaking the platform, demonstrating a lack of ability. He clearly doesn’t know what he’s doing, but is too arrogant to let someone else manage it who does know. Business is about branding, and the Musk brand has taken a huge hit because of the public actions of the person behind it. His cultivated image of this genius who is working for the benefit of humanity is now completely gone. It makes sense that said brand could be a large part of why people were attracted to Tesla, as you would expect for a product that is environmentally friendly and highly technical. He’s pivoted to appealing to a different audience. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2023, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-that-teslas-recent-complications-stem-from-elon-musks-toxicity/983290/20 "2023-04-28T19:52:55Z")
> [@Magiver](#): > > Musk is hardly a MAGA supporter > > [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-that-teslas-recent-complications-stem-from-elon-musks-toxicity/983290.md?page=2)