Elon Musk makes angry: More and more loyal fans swear off Tesla

For a long time, Elon Musk was considered a visionary entrepreneur. His image helped him and his companies to gain a large fan base, which repeatedly overlooked his missteps and strange statements. Even when Musk called a cave rescuer a “pedophile guy” in 2018 because he dismissed his offer of help as a PR stunt, the US billionaire’s image hardly suffered (read more here). In the years that followed, Musk had an unprecedented success story, especially with his company Tesla, making the then comparatively small company the most valuable car manufacturer in the world – measured by the share price.

Buying and driving a Tesla has always been seen as a benevolent sign towards Musk, who is more directly associated with the brand than almost any other CEO. However, this coin also has a downside, as is now becoming increasingly clear. Because more and more fans of the first hour are turning their backs on Musk and his company – and are selling the cars again, also meant as a sign. That’s what “” and “” report.

Elon Musk is changing political camps

Accordingly, fans in particular from the very beginning should no longer be able to identify with the company. Main reason: Elon Musk’s behavior. Since his takeover of the short message service Twitter, Musk has shown himself to be more and more radical – in words and deeds. It’s not even Musk’s chaotic leadership of Twitter that started the sacking of thousands of employees, but rather his political pronouncements, which have become more numerous and radical compared to years past.

“Business Insider” cites US entrepreneur Bob Perkowitz as an example. Long before the worldwide hype, he believed in Tesla and was one of the first few thousand customers. In 2009 he ordered a Model S, which at the time was still a dream of the future. He only got the car three years later and remained loyal to the brand five years later by buying the successor.

A third Tesla won’t make it into his garage, however. In an interview with “Business Insider” he explains: “Elon was a really good reason to buy a Tesla. He had a great reputation – he doesn’t have that anymore today.” Perkowitz also turned his back on Musk. On November 22, 2022, he wrote: “Bob is leaving Twitter. This is my last tweet. Bye.”

Tesla drivers are Fauci fans – Musk is not

The former Musk admirer is not alone in this. Another Tesla customer said in the report that he despises Musk’s hypocrisy and can no longer buy his company’s cars. The spread of conspiracy theories by Musk is also a thorn in his side, it is said.

In recent weeks, Musk has shot at Dr. Anthony Fauci, a leading virologist in the USA, who had accompanied the country through the corona pandemic with advice and action. He was made a target by Trump supporters and to this day plays the leading role in numerous disinformation campaigns by political opponents.

The attacks against the immunologist are also a reason for rethinking for John Byrne, a software CEO from Maryland, USA. The entrepreneur tells “Business Insider” that he was not happy with his Tesla Model X anyway due to quality defects, but ultimately turned his back on the brand because of Musk’s behavior.

This is also stated by a woman who wants to renounce Tesla for her Model S after the lease term has expired. The newspaper quotes her as saying: “His character is pulling the brand into the abyss. I’m looking forward to an Elon-free life.” Other Tesla drivers that Cnet spoke to also reference Musk’s behavior as a Twitter owner and user.

Tesla is also suffering in absolute numbers

The “Business Insider” suspects that the losses for Musk and Tesla could be limited if the CEO manages to replace the formerly loyal fans with new, conservative customers, whose views he represents more and more publicly.

Two things speak against it: Conservative people are often more critical of electric vehicles, so they should not support Elon Musk to the same extent as his former target group. This is also confirmed by figures from a recent study by the market research company, which found that Tesla’s popularity among US Democrats fell by 20 percent between October and November 2022, while the manufacturer only recorded growth of 3.9 percent among Republicans.

Added to this is Tesla’s unprecedented stock market crash, which began in the summer of 2022, but only really picked up speed from October. Since its all-time high, the share has lost more than two-thirds of its value, and on good days it only recovers slightly from the injuries of the past few weeks and months.

Musk also seems to be losing more and more fans on Wall Street – without being able to win new followers to the same extent.