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Out of interest is it his role in American politics or his interference in European politics or other things that you find more annoying. I and British. I do n

Out of interest is it his role in American politics or his interference in European politics or other things that you find more annoying. I and British. I do not really feel there is much political significance in what car you buy, but I am definitely annoyed by his attempts to influence British politics (offering a political party a huge donation if they allowed an extremist to join - they turned him down).

palata 2y ago
Not the OP, but to me it's all of it. Just the nazi salutes would be enough for me not to buy Teslas (or StarLink), but at this point I would avoid any US car.
- ffsm8 2y ago
  Ford is based though. I mean the CEO said publicly (on a podcast ) that the Xiaomi Car is better then anything they've ever produced. Now that's a statement! (also the Xiaomi Car has massively under specced breaks. But that's hard to notice as a normal driver as he is)
  - cjrp 2y ago
    I wouldn't say Jim Farley (Ford CEO) is a normal driver; he races vintage cars, modern Mustangs and other things too.
  - SideburnsOfDoom 2y ago
    > Ford is based though. Well. the Wikipedia article on Henry Ford has a whole section entitled "Antisemitism" which starts "Ford was a conspiracy theorist" and details Nazi links. So, what else is new in the world of Car Company tycoons?
    - rsynnott 2y ago
      See, the critical thing is, Henry Ford is, thankfully, very, very dead. Ford, the modern company, is not run by a 150 year old zombie bigot. It's a very different situation.
      - SideburnsOfDoom 2y ago
        Yes, and as the other commenter noted, 75 years after Henry Ford's death, Ford's image is mostly rehabilitated. Mostly. People who avoid Ford vehicles for this reason (rather than avoiding the vehicles on their own merits) are rare but they do exist. Perhaps 50 or more years after the end of Tesla's iconic leader, the same rehabilitation will happen to Tesla.
    - senordevnyc 2y ago
      I'll also be open to rethinking purchasing a Tesla once Musk has been dead for 75 years.
- exodust 2y ago
  [flagged]
  - rmu09 2y ago
    A self-reflected sane person would see how that gesture in that context can be misinterpreted and would have avoided it in the first place. It's not like you can't express throwing your heart out only in this way. So I guess it was deliberate. Deliberate to look like and walk like a sieg heil, only missing the quack. Maybe a provocation, but an unnecessary one and provoking with Nazi symbolism is completely unacceptable.
    - exodust 2y ago
      Surely you're having a laugh presenting that argument? He's literally in the middle of saying "thank you"... that's what's coming out his mouth. Nobody in history has given nazi salutes while expressing elated smiling, laughing gratitude to cheering crowds, who in turn are not saluting back or even in the same universe as your nazi claim.
  - acdha 2y ago
    It’s odd how Musk never seems to have that awkwardness cause him to make other random gestures which don’t look like Nazi salutes. Similarly, while it’s true that the ADL tried to excuse it, that’s the opinion of their controversial new president and is far from a consensus position. Many other people, including their former national director, did describe it as a fascist salute: https://forward.com/fast-forward/690745/adl-elon-musk-sieg-heil-hitler-salute-nazi/ https://forward.com/fast-forward/690745/adl-elon-musk-sieg-h... https://www.lemkininstitute.com/red-flag-alerts/red-flag-alert-for-genocide---united-states:-the-rise-of-the-nazi-salute https://www.lemkininstitute.com/red-flag-alerts/red-flag-ale... https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2025/jan/21/the-gesture-speaks-for-itself-germans-divided-over-musks-apparent-nazi-salute https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2025/jan/21/the-gestu... Most tellingly, of course, is that extremists all over the world recognized and celebrated rated it. The whole “Roman salute” excuse started as a claim by Musk’s connection to the Italian far-right, apparently hoping that American audiences didn’t know that was a fascist symbol: https://apnews.com/article/musk-gesture-salute-antisemitism-0070dae53c7a73397b104ae645877535 https://apnews.com/article/musk-gesture-salute-antisemitism-... > Musk himself mocked those accusing him, threatened to sue, and has made jokes about raising his arm the wrong way. Nazi saluters don't do that, they're proud to nazi salute that's the point. But I suppose if you hate Musk you'll cling to your story even with evidence supporting the contrary. This is simply intellectual dishonesty: while they say they’re joking, that doesn’t mean that they’re being honest when they do so, that other people are not allowed to disagree with that excuse, that the only motivation for disagreement is some personal hatred for Musk, or that personal opinions constitute incontrovertible evidence which cannot be argued.
jblezo 2y ago
It's not so much his actions, it's just that giving money to someone who gives a Nazi salute is a problem for me.
thrance 2y ago
All of it? That he sig heiled on live TV was probably the nail on the coffin for a lot of (sane) people.
BoredPositron 2y ago
Looking at Tesla resale values and the reliability issues over longer periods of ownership it’s just a sane consumer decision.
- fallingknife 2y ago
  Source on Tesla reliability stats?
  - BoredPositron 2y ago
    https://www.tuvsud.com/en/press-and-media/2024/november/the-best-electric-vehicles-are-based-on-combustion-platforms https://www.tuvsud.com/en/press-and-media/2024/november/the-...
  - rvnx 2y ago
    > Consumer Reports (CR): > Tesla has consistently ranked low in CR's reliability surveys: > In the 2021 Brand Report Card, Tesla ranked 16th out of 32 brands, down from 11th in 2020. > In 2022, Tesla ranked 23rd out of 28 brands with a reliability score of 39 out of 100. > J.D. Power: > In the 2023 U.S. Vehicle Dependability Study, Tesla had 242 issues per 100 vehicles, significantly above the industry average of 186, placing it 28th out of 32 brands. > RepairPal: > Tesla vehicles average 171 mechanical issues per 100 vehicles, compared to the industry average of around 120. > 27th out of 28 brands in CR's reliability study (BusinessInsider.com and InsideEVs.com).
  - sandos 2y ago
    Also expensive insurance, which is partly influenced by reliability.
  - lqet 2y ago
    https://www.carscoops.com/2024/11/tesla-model-3-comes-bottom-in-german-tuv-reliability-test-again/ https://www.carscoops.com/2024/11/tesla-model-3-comes-bottom...
- jordanb 2y ago
  I mean, that hasn't changed in the last quarter so people buying Teslas before had already come to terms with the fact that they were buying an unreliable luxury vehicle they can't get rid of...
deleted 2y ago
[deleted]
pauletienney 2y ago
Well, to me, he used to represent technological ambition, impossible achievements made real. Now he represents foreign interference, social violence and neo fascism. And we, European (and especially French people), have a very very low tolerance for social violence and fascism.
- mytailorisrich 2y ago
  The French are the European experts on social violence (and I am French)... In fact OP's comment somewhat shows the often noxious atmosphere in France. Here in the UK I see Teslas everywhere and people don't say or do anything (maybe they comment on the neighbour's new Tesla at home but they are polite in public in a very British way, and criminal damage is a serious crime...) In France I can believe that a Tesla owner may fear that their car will be vandalised or that some random people might throw insults at them in the street if Tesla is labeled the wrong way... Edit: TBH, I wouldn't even say that there is a low tolerance for fascism because historically and to this day, economic interventionism, strong state, strong leader, political violence, tendency towards authoritarism, social conservatism have been big part of the culture. That is balanced by a tendency towards anarchism at the same time...
  - elthran 2y ago
    At least in the UK the license plate lets you know when the car was registered, so it's simple to tell if they bought the Tesla before Elon went off the cliff fully. I'm not going to begrudge anyone who doesn't sell their car, my judgement is reserved for the people buying them now
    - mytailorisrich 2y ago
      Wow, that is not sinister at all... /s Edit: My comment is obviously not about cars number plates...
      - brianmcc 2y ago
        It's harmless, it's a 6 month window. Number plate: XX24 - registered between 1 Mar 2024 - 31 Aug 2024 XX74 - registered between 1 Sep 2024 - 28 Feb 2025 XX25 - registered between 1 Mar 2025 - 31 Aug 2025 etc The first two letters of a number plate identifies the location where the vehicle was registered. For example, LA – LY covers London and MA – MY covers Manchester and Merseyside. Nothing personally identifying whatsoever. If you're truly paranoid about such things you can always buy a car registered hundreds of miles from your residence, and in practice with an abundance of second-hand (used) cars in the marketplace from across all the UK, there's always a huge variety of registration letters driving about anyway!
pjc50 2y ago
Elon vs Reform UK is extremely funny, because Reform is the wholly owned pet project of Richard Tice. A local real estate guy who's a mere millionaire and unimpressed at a foreign billionaire trying to run him over with superior money.
- notahacker 2y ago
  Nah, it's even funnier than that. It's majority owned by Farage the guy Elon wanted to oust, with Tice holding the rest, because as you say he's a money man whose pet project is giving Farage power. Also, even Farage's most implacable opponents would concede that he's by far the most effective campaigning MP in the UK, as well as an avid Trump supporter, so dumping him would be a hilarious own goal if it was even possible especially when it's dumping him for not endorsing a football hooligan. It would also be history repeating itself since Farage's old party went from winning elections to being a complete irrelevance when Farage "retired" and the hooligans joined...
  - pjc50 2y ago
    It's remarkable how much both Trump and Farage are cults of personality. I don't think they could easily be replaced. I wonder if Brexit would have happened if Farage hadn't survived his plane crash? Or would the media elect another figurehead to put on all the talk shows?
    - graemep 2y ago
      Is there are cult of personality around Farage? He is an effective campaigner as previous comments said, but its not personal charisma or adulation. On the other hand Trump supporters so seem to think he is absolutely wonderful - some sort of messiah.
      - ChocolateGod 2y ago
        Farage is a great speaker, and is extremely good at making what he's saying seem the truth, even if it's not so. But it's far from the support people have for Trump.
ddmf 2y ago
Definitely wouldn't buy a car from someone who feels it's ok to do a couple of nazi salutes in a very public way.
aredox 2y ago
Clearly, if you want to buy a Tesla because of "Ecology" and "the Planet", there is no reason to do so anymore as your purchase directly funds the exact opposite of what you want to achieve. Same with superchargers.
- KoolKat23 2y ago
  This is an honest question, in good faith. How so? I'm just curious, an interesting thought.
  - reverius42 2y ago
    The richer Elon Musk gets, the more he (appears) to use that wealth to skew politics towards anti-"eco" policies. By giving Trump an unprecedented $250 million during the 2024 election, he may have even been the deciding factor in funding some of the advertising that led people to decide to vote Trump, or to stay home instead of vote for Harris. And needless to say, Trump's policies on the environment ("drill baby drill") don't exactly align with the hippie stereotype of electric car buyers ("no more oil").
    - graemep 2y ago
      > The richer Elon Musk gets, the more he (appears) to use that wealth to skew politics towards anti-"eco" policies Which is odd as it directly goes against his own interests. > the hippie stereotype of electric car buyers ("no more oil"). Is that still the stereotype? This might depend on where you are (I am in the UK) but my stereotype of EV buyers is affluent with a tilt to urban.
      - viraptor 2y ago
        > Which is odd as it directly goes against his own interests. His recent interest is power. He can use that for profit later in many different ways - he's working on firing people who wanted to investigate his idea of using X as a payment network, for example.
mongol 2y ago
> I do not really feel there is much political significance in what car you buy It is who you pay. You are directly supporting him with the purchase.
- graemep 2y ago
  Him and every other shareholders. According to this Musk only own 13% https://www.marketscreener.com/quote/stock/TESLA-INC-6344549/company-shareholders/ https://www.marketscreener.com/quote/stock/TESLA-INC-6344549... Barely more than Vanguard + Blackrock.
  - sundaeofshock 2y ago
    I do not care about other shareholders. I do care about Musk. Tesla accounts for 60% of Musk’s wealth which he used to buy the US presidency and he continues to use to promote fascists around the world. Depressing the value of Tesla stock reducing Musk’s influence.
    - _bin_ 2y ago
      Believe it or not, twelve figures can probably influence an election regardless of the first digit. Zeroing out tesla and taking him down to a paltry hundred-billion-and-change would still leave him handily able to cut another quarter-billion-dollar check come ‘28. This is performative.
      - sundaeofshock 2y ago
        Musk’s Tesla stock is highly leveraged. Zeroing out Tesla ruins him.
epolanski 2y ago
Not previous user, but as an Italian I am genuinely worried about how powerful and dangerous Elon is. The man effectively controls a good bunch of the telecom and space capabilities of the most powerful country in the world and its allies. I want to have nothing to do with any of his businesses, socials, services and I'm extremely worried about doge and his presence in the US administration. The person completely lacks any empathy, it's a full blown sociopath. His politics are just a reflection of his deep psychological malaise.
fallingknife 2y ago
How has he "interfered" in European politics? AFAIK all he has done is state his opinion.
- SideburnsOfDoom 2y ago
  https://eu.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2025/02/24/germany-far-right-party-afd-election-wins/79891861007/ https://eu.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2025/02/24/germany-... https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20250216-germany-s-far-right-afd-basks-in-spotlight-of-musk-support https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20250216-germany-s-far... https://www.dw.com/en/how-elon-musk-meddled-in-germanys-elections/a-71676473 https://www.dw.com/en/how-elon-musk-meddled-in-germanys-elec...
  - fallingknife 2y ago
    These are all links to him supporting a party. That's not interference.
    - SideburnsOfDoom 2y ago
      From articles: > led German regulators to investigate Musk for election interference. > How Elon Musk meddled in Germany's elections Those articles disagree with your categorisation. The foreign owner of a major social media platform is not in the same position as any random citizen donating 10 euros or tweeting once.
zfg 2y ago
[flagged]
ChocolateGod 2y ago
I'm British and think Elon Musk does a lot of cool things. I don't really care about what he does in American politics, I actually think the idea that government needs to stop wasting money is a good thing. But he tries to influence European/British politics without living here, often believing mistruths or things out of context. Americans moan (rightfully so) when Europeans try get involved in their politics, but are happy to do the reverse. Regarding Tesla, the UK/EU is going to make zero effort to protect Tesla from Chinese imports that the US will. Musk has burned that bridge.
- short_sells_poo 2y ago
  > I don't really care about what he does in American politics. You should. Whether you like it or not, what he is doing in the US is going to affect you one way or another, irrespective of his meddling in UK politics. Even if he focused his attention solely on US, the world is connected and particularly the US/European relationship has been one of the defining features of geopolitics over the last 70 years. Musk and company are basically dismantling this relationship. The current US administration will profoundly alter the relationships between countries and power blocks for the foreseeable future. The US will cease being a reliable partner for it's old allies the UK included. Musk was doing many cool things, but currently his focus seems to be to dismantle democracy, and this should definitely worry you if you value freedom.
- insane_dreamer 2y ago
  > I don't really care about what he does in American politics Makes sense. Except that American politics can have a huge impact on Europe. Just look at Trumps shafting of Ukraine in favor of a relationship with Russia .
lqet 2y ago
German here. He directly and openly supported the far-right AfD party in the last election by publicly asking people to vote for them, and by holding a video-call audience with the party leadership. I don't care who votes what, but I certainly do not like when people who do not live here and do not have to deal with any consequences of an election result try do to election interference.

palata 2y ago

Not the OP, but to me it's all of it. Just the nazi salutes would be enough for me not to buy Teslas (or StarLink), but at this point I would avoid any US car.

ffsm8 2y ago
Ford is based though. I mean the CEO said publicly (on a podcast ) that the Xiaomi Car is better then anything they've ever produced. Now that's a statement! (also the Xiaomi Car has massively under specced breaks. But that's hard to notice as a normal driver as he is)
- cjrp 2y ago
  I wouldn't say Jim Farley (Ford CEO) is a normal driver; he races vintage cars, modern Mustangs and other things too.
- SideburnsOfDoom 2y ago
  > Ford is based though. Well. the Wikipedia article on Henry Ford has a whole section entitled "Antisemitism" which starts "Ford was a conspiracy theorist" and details Nazi links. So, what else is new in the world of Car Company tycoons?
  - rsynnott 2y ago
    See, the critical thing is, Henry Ford is, thankfully, very, very dead. Ford, the modern company, is not run by a 150 year old zombie bigot. It's a very different situation.
    - SideburnsOfDoom 2y ago
      Yes, and as the other commenter noted, 75 years after Henry Ford's death, Ford's image is mostly rehabilitated. Mostly. People who avoid Ford vehicles for this reason (rather than avoiding the vehicles on their own merits) are rare but they do exist. Perhaps 50 or more years after the end of Tesla's iconic leader, the same rehabilitation will happen to Tesla.
  - senordevnyc 2y ago
    I'll also be open to rethinking purchasing a Tesla once Musk has been dead for 75 years.
exodust 2y ago
[flagged]
- rmu09 2y ago
  A self-reflected sane person would see how that gesture in that context can be misinterpreted and would have avoided it in the first place. It's not like you can't express throwing your heart out only in this way. So I guess it was deliberate. Deliberate to look like and walk like a sieg heil, only missing the quack. Maybe a provocation, but an unnecessary one and provoking with Nazi symbolism is completely unacceptable.
  - exodust 2y ago
    Surely you're having a laugh presenting that argument? He's literally in the middle of saying "thank you"... that's what's coming out his mouth. Nobody in history has given nazi salutes while expressing elated smiling, laughing gratitude to cheering crowds, who in turn are not saluting back or even in the same universe as your nazi claim.
- acdha 2y ago
  It’s odd how Musk never seems to have that awkwardness cause him to make other random gestures which don’t look like Nazi salutes. Similarly, while it’s true that the ADL tried to excuse it, that’s the opinion of their controversial new president and is far from a consensus position. Many other people, including their former national director, did describe it as a fascist salute: https://forward.com/fast-forward/690745/adl-elon-musk-sieg-heil-hitler-salute-nazi/ https://forward.com/fast-forward/690745/adl-elon-musk-sieg-h... https://www.lemkininstitute.com/red-flag-alerts/red-flag-alert-for-genocide---united-states:-the-rise-of-the-nazi-salute https://www.lemkininstitute.com/red-flag-alerts/red-flag-ale... https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2025/jan/21/the-gesture-speaks-for-itself-germans-divided-over-musks-apparent-nazi-salute https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2025/jan/21/the-gestu... Most tellingly, of course, is that extremists all over the world recognized and celebrated rated it. The whole “Roman salute” excuse started as a claim by Musk’s connection to the Italian far-right, apparently hoping that American audiences didn’t know that was a fascist symbol: https://apnews.com/article/musk-gesture-salute-antisemitism-0070dae53c7a73397b104ae645877535 https://apnews.com/article/musk-gesture-salute-antisemitism-... > Musk himself mocked those accusing him, threatened to sue, and has made jokes about raising his arm the wrong way. Nazi saluters don't do that, they're proud to nazi salute that's the point. But I suppose if you hate Musk you'll cling to your story even with evidence supporting the contrary. This is simply intellectual dishonesty: while they say they’re joking, that doesn’t mean that they’re being honest when they do so, that other people are not allowed to disagree with that excuse, that the only motivation for disagreement is some personal hatred for Musk, or that personal opinions constitute incontrovertible evidence which cannot be argued.

jblezo 2y ago

It's not so much his actions, it's just that giving money to someone who gives a Nazi salute is a problem for me.

thrance 2y ago

All of it? That he sig heiled on live TV was probably the nail on the coffin for a lot of (sane) people.

BoredPositron 2y ago

Looking at Tesla resale values and the reliability issues over longer periods of ownership it’s just a sane consumer decision.

fallingknife 2y ago
Source on Tesla reliability stats?
- BoredPositron 2y ago
  https://www.tuvsud.com/en/press-and-media/2024/november/the-best-electric-vehicles-are-based-on-combustion-platforms https://www.tuvsud.com/en/press-and-media/2024/november/the-...
- rvnx 2y ago
  > Consumer Reports (CR): > Tesla has consistently ranked low in CR's reliability surveys: > In the 2021 Brand Report Card, Tesla ranked 16th out of 32 brands, down from 11th in 2020. > In 2022, Tesla ranked 23rd out of 28 brands with a reliability score of 39 out of 100. > J.D. Power: > In the 2023 U.S. Vehicle Dependability Study, Tesla had 242 issues per 100 vehicles, significantly above the industry average of 186, placing it 28th out of 32 brands. > RepairPal: > Tesla vehicles average 171 mechanical issues per 100 vehicles, compared to the industry average of around 120. > 27th out of 28 brands in CR's reliability study (BusinessInsider.com and InsideEVs.com).
- sandos 2y ago
  Also expensive insurance, which is partly influenced by reliability.
- lqet 2y ago
  https://www.carscoops.com/2024/11/tesla-model-3-comes-bottom-in-german-tuv-reliability-test-again/ https://www.carscoops.com/2024/11/tesla-model-3-comes-bottom...
jordanb 2y ago
I mean, that hasn't changed in the last quarter so people buying Teslas before had already come to terms with the fact that they were buying an unreliable luxury vehicle they can't get rid of...

deleted 2y ago

[deleted]

pauletienney 2y ago

Well, to me, he used to represent technological ambition, impossible achievements made real. Now he represents foreign interference, social violence and neo fascism. And we, European (and especially French people), have a very very low tolerance for social violence and fascism.

mytailorisrich 2y ago
The French are the European experts on social violence (and I am French)... In fact OP's comment somewhat shows the often noxious atmosphere in France. Here in the UK I see Teslas everywhere and people don't say or do anything (maybe they comment on the neighbour's new Tesla at home but they are polite in public in a very British way, and criminal damage is a serious crime...) In France I can believe that a Tesla owner may fear that their car will be vandalised or that some random people might throw insults at them in the street if Tesla is labeled the wrong way... Edit: TBH, I wouldn't even say that there is a low tolerance for fascism because historically and to this day, economic interventionism, strong state, strong leader, political violence, tendency towards authoritarism, social conservatism have been big part of the culture. That is balanced by a tendency towards anarchism at the same time...
- elthran 2y ago
  At least in the UK the license plate lets you know when the car was registered, so it's simple to tell if they bought the Tesla before Elon went off the cliff fully. I'm not going to begrudge anyone who doesn't sell their car, my judgement is reserved for the people buying them now
  - mytailorisrich 2y ago
    Wow, that is not sinister at all... /s Edit: My comment is obviously not about cars number plates...
    - brianmcc 2y ago
      It's harmless, it's a 6 month window. Number plate: XX24 - registered between 1 Mar 2024 - 31 Aug 2024 XX74 - registered between 1 Sep 2024 - 28 Feb 2025 XX25 - registered between 1 Mar 2025 - 31 Aug 2025 etc The first two letters of a number plate identifies the location where the vehicle was registered. For example, LA – LY covers London and MA – MY covers Manchester and Merseyside. Nothing personally identifying whatsoever. If you're truly paranoid about such things you can always buy a car registered hundreds of miles from your residence, and in practice with an abundance of second-hand (used) cars in the marketplace from across all the UK, there's always a huge variety of registration letters driving about anyway!

pjc50 2y ago

Elon vs Reform UK is extremely funny, because Reform is the wholly owned pet project of Richard Tice. A local real estate guy who's a mere millionaire and unimpressed at a foreign billionaire trying to run him over with superior money.

notahacker 2y ago
Nah, it's even funnier than that. It's majority owned by Farage the guy Elon wanted to oust, with Tice holding the rest, because as you say he's a money man whose pet project is giving Farage power. Also, even Farage's most implacable opponents would concede that he's by far the most effective campaigning MP in the UK, as well as an avid Trump supporter, so dumping him would be a hilarious own goal if it was even possible especially when it's dumping him for not endorsing a football hooligan. It would also be history repeating itself since Farage's old party went from winning elections to being a complete irrelevance when Farage "retired" and the hooligans joined...
- pjc50 2y ago
  It's remarkable how much both Trump and Farage are cults of personality. I don't think they could easily be replaced. I wonder if Brexit would have happened if Farage hadn't survived his plane crash? Or would the media elect another figurehead to put on all the talk shows?
  - graemep 2y ago
    Is there are cult of personality around Farage? He is an effective campaigner as previous comments said, but its not personal charisma or adulation. On the other hand Trump supporters so seem to think he is absolutely wonderful - some sort of messiah.
    - ChocolateGod 2y ago
      Farage is a great speaker, and is extremely good at making what he's saying seem the truth, even if it's not so. But it's far from the support people have for Trump.

ddmf 2y ago

Definitely wouldn't buy a car from someone who feels it's ok to do a couple of nazi salutes in a very public way.

aredox 2y ago

Clearly, if you want to buy a Tesla because of "Ecology" and "the Planet", there is no reason to do so anymore as your purchase directly funds the exact opposite of what you want to achieve. Same with superchargers.

KoolKat23 2y ago
This is an honest question, in good faith. How so? I'm just curious, an interesting thought.
- reverius42 2y ago
  The richer Elon Musk gets, the more he (appears) to use that wealth to skew politics towards anti-"eco" policies. By giving Trump an unprecedented $250 million during the 2024 election, he may have even been the deciding factor in funding some of the advertising that led people to decide to vote Trump, or to stay home instead of vote for Harris. And needless to say, Trump's policies on the environment ("drill baby drill") don't exactly align with the hippie stereotype of electric car buyers ("no more oil").
  - graemep 2y ago
    > The richer Elon Musk gets, the more he (appears) to use that wealth to skew politics towards anti-"eco" policies Which is odd as it directly goes against his own interests. > the hippie stereotype of electric car buyers ("no more oil"). Is that still the stereotype? This might depend on where you are (I am in the UK) but my stereotype of EV buyers is affluent with a tilt to urban.
    - viraptor 2y ago
      > Which is odd as it directly goes against his own interests. His recent interest is power. He can use that for profit later in many different ways - he's working on firing people who wanted to investigate his idea of using X as a payment network, for example.

mongol 2y ago

> I do not really feel there is much political significance in what car you buy It is who you pay. You are directly supporting him with the purchase.

graemep 2y ago
Him and every other shareholders. According to this Musk only own 13% https://www.marketscreener.com/quote/stock/TESLA-INC-6344549/company-shareholders/ https://www.marketscreener.com/quote/stock/TESLA-INC-6344549... Barely more than Vanguard + Blackrock.
- sundaeofshock 2y ago
  I do not care about other shareholders. I do care about Musk. Tesla accounts for 60% of Musk’s wealth which he used to buy the US presidency and he continues to use to promote fascists around the world. Depressing the value of Tesla stock reducing Musk’s influence.
  - _bin_ 2y ago
    Believe it or not, twelve figures can probably influence an election regardless of the first digit. Zeroing out tesla and taking him down to a paltry hundred-billion-and-change would still leave him handily able to cut another quarter-billion-dollar check come ‘28. This is performative.
    - sundaeofshock 2y ago
      Musk’s Tesla stock is highly leveraged. Zeroing out Tesla ruins him.

epolanski 2y ago

Not previous user, but as an Italian I am genuinely worried about how powerful and dangerous Elon is. The man effectively controls a good bunch of the telecom and space capabilities of the most powerful country in the world and its allies. I want to have nothing to do with any of his businesses, socials, services and I'm extremely worried about doge and his presence in the US administration. The person completely lacks any empathy, it's a full blown sociopath. His politics are just a reflection of his deep psychological malaise.

fallingknife 2y ago

How has he "interfered" in European politics? AFAIK all he has done is state his opinion.

SideburnsOfDoom 2y ago
https://eu.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2025/02/24/germany-far-right-party-afd-election-wins/79891861007/ https://eu.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2025/02/24/germany-... https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20250216-germany-s-far-right-afd-basks-in-spotlight-of-musk-support https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20250216-germany-s-far... https://www.dw.com/en/how-elon-musk-meddled-in-germanys-elections/a-71676473 https://www.dw.com/en/how-elon-musk-meddled-in-germanys-elec...
- fallingknife 2y ago
  These are all links to him supporting a party. That's not interference.
  - SideburnsOfDoom 2y ago
    From articles: > led German regulators to investigate Musk for election interference. > How Elon Musk meddled in Germany's elections Those articles disagree with your categorisation. The foreign owner of a major social media platform is not in the same position as any random citizen donating 10 euros or tweeting once.

zfg 2y ago

[flagged]

ChocolateGod 2y ago

I'm British and think Elon Musk does a lot of cool things. I don't really care about what he does in American politics, I actually think the idea that government needs to stop wasting money is a good thing. But he tries to influence European/British politics without living here, often believing mistruths or things out of context. Americans moan (rightfully so) when Europeans try get involved in their politics, but are happy to do the reverse. Regarding Tesla, the UK/EU is going to make zero effort to protect Tesla from Chinese imports that the US will. Musk has burned that bridge.

short_sells_poo 2y ago
> I don't really care about what he does in American politics. You should. Whether you like it or not, what he is doing in the US is going to affect you one way or another, irrespective of his meddling in UK politics. Even if he focused his attention solely on US, the world is connected and particularly the US/European relationship has been one of the defining features of geopolitics over the last 70 years. Musk and company are basically dismantling this relationship. The current US administration will profoundly alter the relationships between countries and power blocks for the foreseeable future. The US will cease being a reliable partner for it's old allies the UK included. Musk was doing many cool things, but currently his focus seems to be to dismantle democracy, and this should definitely worry you if you value freedom.
insane_dreamer 2y ago
> I don't really care about what he does in American politics Makes sense. Except that American politics can have a huge impact on Europe. Just look at Trumps shafting of Ukraine in favor of a relationship with Russia .

lqet 2y ago

German here. He directly and openly supported the far-right AfD party in the last election by publicly asking people to vote for them, and by holding a video-call audience with the party leadership. I don't care who votes what, but I certainly do not like when people who do not live here and do not have to deal with any consequences of an election result try do to election interference.