Elon Musk made a name for himself and Tesla by breaking the rules.
Still, Tesla brand the billionaire’s recent comments about politics and allegations of sexual harassment against him, which he says are untrue. Could damage the brand in the eyes of some car owners and harm employees.
Tesla brand on Thursday denied a Business Insider report that he harassed a flight attendant on a private plane in 2016, calling the person making the allegations a liar.
The day before, amid a controversial bid to buy Twitter Inc. Tesla’s chief executive said he would now vote for Republicans over Democrats, calling Democrats a “party of division and hatred. This week, Tesla was also removed from the widely published S&P 500 ESG index. The index said it was due to allegations of racial discrimination at the company and accidents involving its vehicles.
Musk responded by calling similar environmental, social, and governance (ESG) ratings a “scam” and questioning. Gow the index could bring down electric car companies by including oil and gas producers.
We were unable to reach Tesla for comment immediately.
However, while Musk previously made headlines he once referred to a critic as a “pedo man” on Twitter. The recent controversy has again raised questions about whether his frankness will mask his sympathy. And because Musk is so closely linked to Tesla that would hurt the automaker’s sales, particularly in California.
The #BoycottTesla trended on Twitter on Friday, with several people claiming they canceled their car orders. “In the past, I admire him when he worked to build a green business. That would change how energy is use. Unfortunately, I no longer think he is commit to the quality of his products. I will cancel my Tesla order,” said Jay Ye, a Twitter user who describes himself as a lawyer. Who has lived in several cities, Added Los Angeles?
“You have lost a potential customer,” said a Twitter user named Ute Bauer from Germany. Adding in German: “Anyone reading this should cancel their order.”