Depends on, I personally know otherwise very political people who didn't know about the Thai cave rescue controversy, while others still think he's "just a bit upset that his child transitioned", because they read "non-loony lefty sources", that downplay his transphobia.

As long as Elon has been in the spotlight I've read about what an awful company Tesla is, how innovative SpaceX is but at the same time has horrible leadership to work for.

It was even before 2017 when I tried talking my brother out of buying one because of how clear it was they were cutting corners, hiding behind minimalism to excuse their lacking plastic covered interior.

I refuse to give anyone a pass for buying one, the writing has been on the wall since day one. Any Tesla owner is just another slave to the zeitgeist.

I plunked down $1000 sight-unseen in March 2016 for a first-run Model 3. I had driven a Model S (no way I could afford one) and was obsessed with Tesla. I finally received my 3 in early 2018 (I believe) and loved that car like a newborn baby. I was a rockstar in the area, people wanted to see it. Kids wowed when I drove by. The future of transport was looking bright and I was at the forefront.

Over time, Elon’s actions became more unhinged, and for a while I had the “separate the art from the artist” attitude. The Salute was the final straw. I had gotten more and more embarrassed by my car as it symbolized everything I hated, due simply to the actions of the insane CEO. When he helped elect Trump and became butt buddies with him, I knew my car’s days in my garage were limited. I sold it to Carvana for $18300 and bought a used Audi for the same price.

Man, I miss that car. It was everything I wanted. The FSD web of lies pissed me off, but the car was objectively great.

I have a reservation for a Rivian R2 now and I can’t wait to get it. I’m getting the same feeling all over again. So, what I guess I’m saying is, please RJ Scaringe don’t turn into a Nazi.

I don't get the "just sell it" crowd. Your solution is playing hot potato with a car. Like someone is still getting that car. Unless you manage to sell it to Tesla themselves I guess, but it's my understanding that they only take them on trade-in.

So the choices you're proposing are: Sell a car so it's now Someone Else's Problem, which isn't a great look for you. Or scrap a perfectly usable car creating a bunch of waste, which isn't a great look for you.

Just let people have their old cars, geez.

I remember maybe 8, 9 years ago

They'll be fine if they had the cash to cough up for an EV then.

Unfortunate for them, but I don't feel sorry. This is the reality of capitalism. The means of the production are not democratically controlled, it just so happened that Elon is particularly stupid.

General public sentiment was very positive around 7-8yr ago. We know you're very smart and special for disliking him before that, but that doesn't change the fact that most people liked him still.

For my part I got off the train after those kids that got trapped in the cave.

Ya he is raised by an apartheid era emerald mine owner. Basically imagine the son of a plantation owner in antebellum south

I did have one pre-covid and I sold it shortly after he started going right-wing maga. The fun part was I sold it during the chip shortage. So I got more than I paid for it.

What is supposed to be done with the cars that already exist? Tossing them in the junkyard or destroying them won't make anything better. They can still be used for their purpose.

But don't buy a new one.

I see that, but resale values have probably tanked, and not everyone has the disposable income to just switch cars whenever they want.

I would have sold mine already on principle,

Well that would have really hurt the little nazi. He would be practically crying

EDIT: \s

I feel like around 2018 with the mini sub and insisting it be used to save those boys in the cave was a big turning point in the public perception. Maybe more of an inflection point.

Less obvious if your not paying attention to him and only hear things about him from his fans...or atleast back in 2017. Now it's basically impossible not to notice he's a twat

I have one on my bike.

Looks of a tesla are the last of my concerns personally...

Irregular panel gaps on a new car fresh out the factory is crazy work

Yeah, pretty dated styling these days.

lmeo

Lefties think he was always bad.

Yeah they all look the same to me, I wouldn’t be able to tell the difference.

True, they all look the same to me. But the other day, I saw someone with one of these stickers on a Cybertruck. THAT I know is bullshit

Then it also makes the "valid" stickers less trustworthy. Maybe time's up and they all need to get sold to right wingers who don't mind scratches.

I knew he was nuts pre pandemic and that's when we had nut jobs worshiping him. Knew bout his transphobia against his kid etc.

Awareness has risen substantially.

Until 2010 or so he was keeping his mouth shut so a lot of us saw him differently.

I saw one that said: i bought this before we all knew he was crazy.

Wait, who is we?

but buying it in 2025, and trying to make it look like you bought it like years ago, is cope on the fathers end.

Toyota's CEO went full fucknut too.

On my last trip to Turkey, I saw a few Teslas here and there, all of which had their front logos removed. An interesting way of distancing themselves.

Tesla is literally funding Elon and all his misdeeds. His entire net worth is tied to Tesla.

We can pass on when Elon no longer has financial ties to the company. Or he somehow makes a massive turnaround as a human being (not likely, but we can always be generous and leave open the possibility). We don't ignore issues just because time has passed.

Are you just a Nazi sympathizer or are you yourself a full blown Nazi?

It's the insane price tag of it (given that it's a car) combined with the fact that beyond the usual evil ceo shit he's politically active and manipulating public discourse in favor of fascism.