5 ms·

Tesla does seem to be becoming a partisan brand, which strikes me as unwise.

LastTrain 3y ago
I'm not sure partisan is the right word - I don't think Musk's politics align neatly with either American political party, he's just morphed into a very vocal garbage person.
- 404mm 3y ago
  If nothing else, the moment when Elon started vocally supporting DeSantis his name became very partisan. Also it says a lot about Elon himself.
- b0sk 3y ago
  uh what? He openly supported Ron DeSantis and plays tech support to characters like Ian-Miles Cheong, LibsOfTikTok and catturd2. His likes and replies are to mainly anti-Trans and pro replacement theory. He's definitely a hard right character.
  - sylens 3y ago
    Concerning.
- silverquiet 3y ago
  https://fortune.com/2022/11/07/elon-musk-tweets-vote-republican-one-day-before-midterms/ https://fortune.com/2022/11/07/elon-musk-tweets-vote-republi...
- jcranmer 3y ago
  Musk's politics align very neatly with the Republican party, for example: * Belief that the administrative state (e.g., the SEC) is unconstitutional * Strong distaste for the government telling him what to do (e.g., railing against the COVID-19 lockdowns) * Engages in transphobia * Has a view of free speech that focuses on "making people self-censor due to fear of reaction is a violation on their free speech" (I'd add in "anyone who says mean things against me is liable for defamation", but that's pretty much true across the political spectrum) * His views on the Russo-Ukrainian War seem to align more strongly with the kiss-Putin's-ass wing of the Republican party, although admittedly the Republican party itself is split on the issue. * He has repeatedly endorsed things like Great Replacement Theory or other white supremacist views. The main views he has that seems to diverge from the Republican party is environmentalism, but to be frank, Musk doesn't seem to be a fierce advocate of environmentalism outside of shipping electric cars. And I'm not aware of any endorsements he's given of Democrats, but several of Republicans; he's even posted things that indicates that he believes himself to be centrist but thinks the Democrats have run off to crazy-crazy land, living him with only Republicans as a viable option.
  - ryandvm 3y ago
    Musk's environmental bonafides never extended farther than milking Uncle Sam for tax credits or lucrative federal contracts. He doesn't give a shit about colonizing Mars or combating global warming, but he sure is interested in the fat federal contracts that those activities would entail.
ryandvm 3y ago
Being a partisan brand can be decent business, but Elon seems to be chartering a particularly dangerous course as the Venn diagram of right-wing cultural warriors and people interested in buying green technology is exceedingly small.
- rurp 3y ago
  It can be a great way to build a niche brand, but makes it hard to be an industry leading one. Alienating so many customers right off the bat puts a ceiling on growth. Practically every major company bends over backwards to avoid pissing off half the country over anything.

I'm not sure partisan is the right word - I don't think Musk's politics align neatly with either American political party, he's just morphed into a very vocal garbage person.

404mm 3y ago
If nothing else, the moment when Elon started vocally supporting DeSantis his name became very partisan. Also it says a lot about Elon himself.
b0sk 3y ago
uh what? He openly supported Ron DeSantis and plays tech support to characters like Ian-Miles Cheong, LibsOfTikTok and catturd2. His likes and replies are to mainly anti-Trans and pro replacement theory. He's definitely a hard right character.
- sylens 3y ago
  Concerning.
silverquiet 3y ago
https://fortune.com/2022/11/07/elon-musk-tweets-vote-republican-one-day-before-midterms/ https://fortune.com/2022/11/07/elon-musk-tweets-vote-republi...
jcranmer 3y ago
Musk's politics align very neatly with the Republican party, for example: * Belief that the administrative state (e.g., the SEC) is unconstitutional * Strong distaste for the government telling him what to do (e.g., railing against the COVID-19 lockdowns) * Engages in transphobia * Has a view of free speech that focuses on "making people self-censor due to fear of reaction is a violation on their free speech" (I'd add in "anyone who says mean things against me is liable for defamation", but that's pretty much true across the political spectrum) * His views on the Russo-Ukrainian War seem to align more strongly with the kiss-Putin's-ass wing of the Republican party, although admittedly the Republican party itself is split on the issue. * He has repeatedly endorsed things like Great Replacement Theory or other white supremacist views. The main views he has that seems to diverge from the Republican party is environmentalism, but to be frank, Musk doesn't seem to be a fierce advocate of environmentalism outside of shipping electric cars. And I'm not aware of any endorsements he's given of Democrats, but several of Republicans; he's even posted things that indicates that he believes himself to be centrist but thinks the Democrats have run off to crazy-crazy land, living him with only Republicans as a viable option.
- ryandvm 3y ago
  Musk's environmental bonafides never extended farther than milking Uncle Sam for tax credits or lucrative federal contracts. He doesn't give a shit about colonizing Mars or combating global warming, but he sure is interested in the fat federal contracts that those activities would entail.

ryandvm 3y ago

Being a partisan brand can be decent business, but Elon seems to be chartering a particularly dangerous course as the Venn diagram of right-wing cultural warriors and people interested in buying green technology is exceedingly small.

rurp 3y ago
It can be a great way to build a niche brand, but makes it hard to be an industry leading one. Alienating so many customers right off the bat puts a ceiling on growth. Practically every major company bends over backwards to avoid pissing off half the country over anything.