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by graemep 223 days ago
Musk is only just the largest shareholder in Tesla, however he is CEO and very strongly associated with the brand so he has damaged the company's image.

On the other hand, people are happily buying Chinese cars without caring about the ethics and politics of China or the companies they buy from, which are even worse.
1 comments
tastyface 222 days ago
I disagree that they're even worse. *China* might be a vicious and unethical state in many respects, but you can't directly equate every company in China with the Chinese government. If I buy a BYD car, my money is not going directly into the pockets of white supremacists in the UK and Germany.
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graemep 222 days ago
> I disagree that they're even worse. China might be a vicious and unethical state in many respects, but you can't directly equate every company in China with the Chinese government.

Their taxes go to the Chinese government, buying from them strengthens the Chinese economy (and therefore the government), buying centrally controlled technology from China strengthens China strategically (in the same way buying US cloud services strengthens the US) , Chinese companies are far more under the control of the state, and they have their own ethical problems, such as near slavery: https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/what-happens-next-wor...

> If I buy a BYD car, my money is not going directly into the pockets of white supremacists

If you buy a Tesla only some of what you pay is profit. Musk owns 16% of the shares so is entitled to 16% of the profits and his pay as CEO, and the the extremists will get whatever proportion of that he chooses to give them

It is likely to be a tiny proportion of the cost of a car, and certainly far less than the benefit the Chinese government gets from the purchase of a BYD.

> in the UK and Germany.

That would be AfD in Germany. I did not think he had actually donated all that much?

In the UK has he found anyone willing to take his money? Reform turned him down because he made the donation on their letting Tommy Robinson join. That essentially leaves him with the Tommy Robinson and the EDL, Rupert Lowe (an independent MP since he got kicked out of Reform) and a few individuals and even smaller organisations than the EDL (like whatever Ben Habib's new party is called) who might take his money.

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