[whoisjuan]

I own a Model 3, and I honestly think it is the best car I have ever owned.

Despite that, I know people who have ruled out owning a Tesla because they believe the brand mirrors Elon Musk's public persona. They flat-out reject any Tesla product because the brand's visible face is someone they believe doesn't represent their values.

I'm unsure he understood the implications of becoming such a polarizing figure. It was totally unnecessary, yet that was his choice.

[raisedbyninjas]

Or car buyers just want turn signal stalks or auto windshield wipers that work.

[listenallyall]

and can be refilled in 5 minutes.

[stephc_int13]

I don't think it was a conscious or deliberate choice.

Hubris made him think he was the real Tony Stark, genius playboy philanthropist bullshit, but as talented as he is in some areas, his flaws are clearly visible.

But at the end of the day, I think that if Tesla was making valuable cars, it would not matter that much. The thing is that those cars also have many flaws, and a lot of undelivered promises around self-driving...

[knodi123]

> Hubris made him think he was the real Tony Stark

Maybe it was the time Tony Stark praised his ideas.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-wC4rLguuYI

[0cf8612b2e1e]

"Republicans buy sneakers, too"

It does not take much business acumen that taking a political stance is going to anger someone. Best keep your mouth shut unless you are prepared for the consequences.

I doubt Elon’s personal views are much different from any other billionaire CEO. Yet the majority of them are not in the spotlight and drawing attention to themselves.

[listenallyall]

I don't doubt that a portion of potential buyers are turned off by Musk's politics and refuse to buy his cars. But a much, much larger group (in my opinion) are people who like gas-powered cars and have zero interest in EVs, no matter how large the subsidies are, how advanced the tech is, or how many chargers are out there. Ignoring this group, and focusing on those caught up with Musk's politics, is missing the big picture, I believe.

[JojoFatsani]

What other cars have you owned?

[phasnox]

Counterpoint: It was 100% necessary. Telling the truth always is.

[Jgrubb]

Which truth are you referring to?

[hehdhdjehehegwv]

So the "truth" would be his primary base of personal wealth is utterly derived from selling cars to...checking notes...the worst people in the country who deserve to be bullied and ridiculed? And that he has no choice but to educate the world about this truth? Even if it means destroying his personal reputation and businesses?

Or - and this is amply documented now - perhaps the "truth" is he's doing way too many drugs (WSJ), making horrible decisions (Supercharger), and per the deeply persuasive data in the linked thread, is killing the company?

Like, huh? What?

[WheatMillington]

Elon Musk is not famous for honesty.