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As a person who owns two Teslas (and has no plans to get rid of them) I don't think the author is saying that these protestors were potential customers, I think

As a person who owns two Teslas (and has no plans to get rid of them) I don't think the author is saying that these protestors were potential customers, I think he's saying that the brand has been impacted negatively by them, and that potential customers are starting to look at the alternatives. (Even I am noticing how nice some of the new GM and Kia and Ford and BMW electric cars look).

bdangubic 2y ago
I own two Teslas as well and was waiting on new Y to upgrade, not happening right now as my wife would divorce me that same day I went to pick it up :) Musk successfully alienated his customer base (rich liberals) to the point that I do not believe the company will survive this unless he leaves... and of course he cannot leave because Tesla is a meme stock now, if he left the stock would tank (only he can sell fantasies like robotaxis and robots etc to justify triple-digit P/E ratio...)
- taylodl 2y ago
  Musk has to leave for Tesla to have a shot at a future. There's an ever-shrinking cadre of "investors" willing to buy Musk's "promises" in lieu of delivered results. That's unsustainable. Get rid of Musk and absolutely their stock price is going to "tank", or I should say re-adjust to what it should have been all along. Part of sending Musk on his way would involve Tesla owning up to what they are: an EV auto company with massive vertical integration on the charging side that allows their customers to charge at home, off-grid, and during their travels. Robotaxis and robots are a distraction from their core competency, and in my mind, makes their stock less valuable.
  - damnitbuilds 2y ago
    But their valuation was based on those distractions, not on being "an EV auto company..."
    - bdangubic 2y ago
      that’s exactly it… and Musk’s margin calls would kick in hard if Tesla stock starts going where it should be. This is a pickle they are both in, can’t move on from each other and can’t stay together
      - taylodl 2y ago
        That's why I began with "Musk has to leave for Tesla to have a shot at a future." Tesla needs to decide if they're going down with Musk, or whether they're going to slog through a market correction and likely come out the other side well positioned for growth. The choice is theirs.
damnitbuilds 2y ago
"I don't think the author is saying that these protestors were potential customers" Yes he is. He wrote ( and I quoted above ): "people would rather go to his dealerships to wave angry signs than to buy cars." Yes, of course the brand has been impacted negatively. Which Musk must have seen coming. I think he wants to be right, not popular. To a level bordering on mental illness, and wholly unsuited to someone leading a company that needs to attract customers. It would be a problem even if he was right. And on many things, he is not.
- watwut 2y ago
  > people would rather go to his dealerships to wave angry signs than to buy cars. That statement means people are more likely to protest then to buy. They don't need to be the same people.
  - damnitbuilds 2y ago
    "would rather" means they are making a choice, so they are individual people.

bdangubic 2y ago

I own two Teslas as well and was waiting on new Y to upgrade, not happening right now as my wife would divorce me that same day I went to pick it up :) Musk successfully alienated his customer base (rich liberals) to the point that I do not believe the company will survive this unless he leaves... and of course he cannot leave because Tesla is a meme stock now, if he left the stock would tank (only he can sell fantasies like robotaxis and robots etc to justify triple-digit P/E ratio...)

taylodl 2y ago
Musk has to leave for Tesla to have a shot at a future. There's an ever-shrinking cadre of "investors" willing to buy Musk's "promises" in lieu of delivered results. That's unsustainable. Get rid of Musk and absolutely their stock price is going to "tank", or I should say re-adjust to what it should have been all along. Part of sending Musk on his way would involve Tesla owning up to what they are: an EV auto company with massive vertical integration on the charging side that allows their customers to charge at home, off-grid, and during their travels. Robotaxis and robots are a distraction from their core competency, and in my mind, makes their stock less valuable.
- damnitbuilds 2y ago
  But their valuation was based on those distractions, not on being "an EV auto company..."
  - bdangubic 2y ago
    that’s exactly it… and Musk’s margin calls would kick in hard if Tesla stock starts going where it should be. This is a pickle they are both in, can’t move on from each other and can’t stay together
    - taylodl 2y ago
      That's why I began with "Musk has to leave for Tesla to have a shot at a future." Tesla needs to decide if they're going down with Musk, or whether they're going to slog through a market correction and likely come out the other side well positioned for growth. The choice is theirs.

damnitbuilds 2y ago

"I don't think the author is saying that these protestors were potential customers" Yes he is. He wrote ( and I quoted above ): "people would rather go to his dealerships to wave angry signs than to buy cars." Yes, of course the brand has been impacted negatively. Which Musk must have seen coming. I think he wants to be right, not popular. To a level bordering on mental illness, and wholly unsuited to someone leading a company that needs to attract customers. It would be a problem even if he was right. And on many things, he is not.

watwut 2y ago
> people would rather go to his dealerships to wave angry signs than to buy cars. That statement means people are more likely to protest then to buy. They don't need to be the same people.
- damnitbuilds 2y ago
  "would rather" means they are making a choice, so they are individual people.