[Aditya]

Tesla and its CEO Elon Musk has a huge fanbase. However, some of these are fanatical and would troll people on the internet if the company is criticised.



The author of this article claims to be a Tesla investor and has written many articles about Tesla’s positive impact on the world.

Tesla’s rise in popularity over the last decade created an incredible fanbase that would make Apple jealous. Just as the Cupertino, California, tech company made people fall in love with their phones, Tesla was able seduce their customers to fall in love with their cars.

However, some fringe groups have slipped into super fandom, which is becoming toxic due to slews of attacks against anything that can be perceived as negative toward Tesla

I still stand by those articles, which again are mostly positive, but I can also admit that Tesla is not a perfect company and not beyond criticism. That’s why I also wrote several articles criticizing it, especially when it came to store closures and slashing employee compensation last year.
It led to Elon Musk calling me “anti-Tesla”.

Obviously, it’s ridiculous for Musk to call someone who is a Tesla investor and who wrote thousands of articles about Tesla’s positive impact on the world “anti-Tesla” simply because he didn’t like a few of my articles during a time when the company was making some very questionable moves. Musk even ended up reversing some of those moves later that year.

All that aside, he brings up an interesting point about “social media trolls.” He believes that the Tesla naysayers and shorts who have been attacking me on social media for years have gotten to me, and pushed me to start being negative on Tesla.

the trolls have indeed created a landscape in the Tesla community that is worth exploring.

There’s no doubt that they exist, and they have been extremely vocal over the years. In order to counter them, some Tesla fans have been appropriately fighting back. However, other Tesla fans have stooped to their level in what I’d consider an inappropriate way.

There’s a breed of Tesla superfans who believe that the company can do no wrong, and they attack anyone who says anything that can be perceived as negative about the company. They also spread misinformation about Tesla, like the TSLA shorts.

a fringe group has been giving a bad reputation to the less vocal majority.

I was first introduced to Vincent in 2018 when he started gaining momentum on Twitter by sharing information about Tesla’s Model 3 launch in China that was being used by other publications.

He shared information and pictures of what he claims was Tesla showcasing Model 3 at different locations in China (the tweet has since been deleted — more information below).

Being generally wary of using information from anonymous people online, I tried to confirm his information. I was skeptical because the showcase was announcing a price, which hadn’t yet been released by Tesla in China, and they were taking reservations with a ~$3,000 deposit.

At the time, I asked Vincent’s help to confirm the information, but he didn’t have many details beyond what he posted on Twitter. I talked to Tesla about it, and the company confirmed that they had nothing to do with those events.

It means that it was a group of people who imported a Model 3 from another country and showcased it around China to defraud people with fake reservations with $3,000 deposits.

He wasn’t a reliable source, so I stopped following him and I thought that would be the end of my interactions with him.

As for him, he kept sharing information and praising Tesla on Twitter — gaining a following of Tesla superfans.

Half a year later, I start getting a flurry of insults on Twitter from Tesla superfans following Vincent. I come to find out that Vincent was falsely accusing me of using information he tweeted without crediting him.

Vincent had tweeted pictures and information from a Chinese social media platform without crediting the source.

Someone had previously sent me the actual source via our tip line that I used in a post and credited said source.

Instead of accepting this, his Tesla fan followers stuck to their tribe mentality and doubled down on their attacks, trying to irrationally defend Vincent simply because they saw him as a bigger Tesla fan than me.

There’s something very wrong about going after someone’s livelihood, and that’s just one of many attacks from this same gang of Tesla superfans.

Obviously, it’s a bad thing for Tesla and the EV community as a whole if superfans share misinformation, even if it’s positive about Tesla, but there are also many other problems with this Tesla fandom fringe.

It’s something that Elon Musk has often highlighted as one of Tesla’s biggest advantages — maintaining a short feedback loop, which often consists of him responding directly to people on Twitter.

But when Musk only relies on these superfans for the feedback, he is doing himself and Tesla a disservice.

Musk has been voicing his opinion on the pandemic and the government response to it, and while the broader Tesla community appeared to disagree with him, his opinion was reinforced by this fringe group of cult-like Tesla fans who have been cheering him on.

Musk also participated in propagating misinformation about the pandemic, including highly criticized information released by two Bakersfield doctors.

The CEO’s criticism ramped up to direct attacks on local health officials and politicians who didn’t support Tesla reopening Fremont factory.

After Musk threatened to move Tesla’s California operations, which employs tens of thousands of people, it unsurprisingly didn’t sit well with many people, including state representative Lorena Gonzalez.

While we obviously don’t endorse this type of language, it then led to a good example of a Tesla superfan feeding misinformation to Elon Musk, corrupting his feedback loop. The Tesla superfans quickly went on the offensive and tried to paint her as an oil industry shill.

Before entering politics, she was a union organizer. Unions are now her biggest campaign contributors, several times bigger than oil and gas, and Musk and Tesla have been known to be anti-union — at least when it came to efforts to unionize Tesla’s operations in California and Germany.

She even followed up her controversial tweet with comments about Tesla’s treatment of workers.

It’s clear that if her problem with Musk stems from somewhere, it’s from her union roots and the fact that Tesla has been fighting efforts to unionize Fremont factory for a while.

Yet Tesla superfans, who have Musk’s ear, pushed misinformation about her being a shill for the oil industry to explain her problem with Musk.

Earlier this month, I posted an article about how all the requirements for the first tranche of Musk’s stock compensation plan have been fulfilled, and in the opinion section of the article, I introduced the possibility of Musk selling some shares to cover his tax obligations.

The Third Row Tesla Podcast took offense to that and issued a series of tweets that turned Tesla superfans against me again.

To be clear, I didn’t even say that Musk would absolutely sell shares. In the past, he has covered his tax obligations by borrowing against his shares, but it has never been with amounts in the hundreds of millions of dollars worth of shares like this specific stock option tranche.

Therefore, I simply introduced the possibility in order to avoid panic if it does happen.

But Third Row Tesla Podcast suggested that it was either an attempt to spread “FUD,” which stands for “fear, uncertainty and doubt,” or I was “genuinely clueless”

At first, they claimed “incentive stock options don’t get taxed,” which is plain wrong.

After it was pointed out to them that it’s not the case, they tried to lie about me by saying that taxes were due when the shares are vested

These are the same people that Musk listens to on Twitter.

What we have here is a tribal thinking problem where people are loyal to their social group above all else to the point of disregarding the facts.

many of these people are too deep into it and will keep attacking people who are criticizing Tesla. And in the most extreme cases, they will keep attacking even people who just say things that could be perceived as negative toward Tesla, even though those people are providing constructive criticism — precisely because they love Tesla.

Source

[Aditya]

Thread moved out from the Assembly Line.

[Cyborg]

With Tesla, Musk has created a brand which is actually bigger than the product. It’s like what Jobs did with the iPhone back in the day.

If you see both the personalities of Musk and Jobs, they are both similar in some ways. Mainly being the “my way or the highway” mentality among other things, polarising people into the hate or love zone.

This gains a fanatical following as they are charismatic and fanatic about what they believe in, which ultimately transfers to the product.

Cheers

[Tachyonites]

Read in the newspaper that Tesla overtakes Toyota to become the number one car company in the world. Much of a heartbreak for me since I am a Toyota loyalist and I simply love the brand.
Thanks, Tachyonites.

Tesla overtakes Toyota: Tesla has a valuation of $182.87 BN. Your video will be available shortly.
Electric car maker Tesla has dethroned Japanese auto giant Toyota to become the world's most valuable auto maker with its shares touching new high at 1,000 dollars.

Source = Wionews

[DicKy]

More than Apple like fanboyism cult/ lifestyle culture, Tesla also has politically induced followers.

Eventhough Elon Musk's political leanings are vague, and Tesla buyers come from all political groups, Tesla has overwhelmingly succeeded the Prius as the vehicle of choice for certain political leaning people, with the added benefit of being waaayy cooler.

So much politically inclined, that when the discussion of EVs vs hydrogen FCVs come, they will be like,
"We want to be able to make our own energy"
to stuff like
"Hydrogen fuel?, So that your big oil companies can survive? We will kill them"

Originally Posted by Tachyonites

Read it in the newspaper, Tesla overtakes Toyota to become the number one car company in the world.
Much of a heartbreak for me since i am a toyota loyalist and I simply love the brand.
Thanks, Tachyonites.
.

True.
Ofcourse market valuations will depend on factors like future growth, or how much of a game changer the company is. And it is. Tesla has single handedly accelerated car manufacturers plans and created a snowball effect where government's are setting deadlines for ICE vehicles to be phased out.

But really?
A luxury company with presence in maybe three major regions, and who made a profit only this year versus one of the most profitable company, that makes anything from economy cars to luxury cars to commercial vehicles, sitting on some of the largest cash reserves?

Well
Investors maybe riding on the speculation that Tesla could be the next Apple.

[Jeroen]

Originally Posted by DicKy

Ofcourse market valuations will depend on factors like future growth, or how much of a game changer the company is. And it is. Tesla has single handedly accelerated car manufacturers plans and created a snowball effect where government's are setting deadlines for ICE vehicles to be phased out.

A luxury company with presence in maybe three major regions, and who made a profit only this year versus one of the most profitable company, that makes anything from economy cars to luxury cars to commercial vehicles, sitting on some of the largest cash reserves?

Investors maybe riding on the speculation that Tesla could be the next Apple.

The stock market has nothing to do with the real economy or the actual financial status of a company. It is all about the future!

There is no doubt in my mind that Musk has singlehandedly changed the automotive market (and some other markets and industries too). The man has come a very long way on many different fronts. And his accomplishment be it with Tesla, battery technology and for instance his space adventures, are not be sniffed at.

As a human being I am not so sure. I see a huge problem with all these people that worship the ground he walks on. I met the man at Stanford University in Palo Alto a couple of year backs. He did an interview in the auditorium and as you can imagine it was packed to the rafters with students wanting to see and hear the big man. We met with him afterwards.

This is the problem: Every student at Stanford had Musk as a role model. They all wanted to become the new Musk. They all had these grand ideas about how they were going to develop some piece of (new) technology and make the world a better place. Nothing wrong with that. However, when you would ask them about current affairs, they just stared back at you completely blank.

If today you would ask these Musk fans (or Musk himself) what the relevance of “black lives Matter” is, or how they see their own role/actions/responsibility in such an issue, I am not so sure you would get a very coherent story. Don’t get me wrong. Stanford students are amongst the smartest in the world. They crank out an astonishing number of entrapeneurs and innovative thinkers. The problem is, they sit in a sterile technology bubble with no thoughts, no concerns about society at large.

And they all have these super innovative plans to make the world a better place. When I asked them, shall we start by ensuring Stanford students represent a good mix of Americans in the age 20-25 they were dumbfounded? What do you mean? "Well, the only black folks I see on campus are the ones behind the cafetaria. Virtually no black students here!?"

I even put this to the Dean when he presented to us their admission policy.

This is the problem: we have some very clever and highly capable and motivated people who put Sheldon Cooper to shame in terms on how well they are integrated and part of the real world.

So yes, I do admire Musk for his achievements. As a human being he is seriously compromised, if not retarded on some topics/issues. I am always very cautious about people who are essentially one trick pony. I prefer people to be balanced in life and outlook on life, to show empathy and interest in their complete environment.

The Musks of this world are disruptors and they are the driving force behind a number of changes. But I am very concerned about their ultimate goals or thinking behind it. Talented as Musk might be, he is also a very shallow man in many other ways/aspect.

Jeroen

[Miyata]

I think for the very same we have people being fanatical about many other aspects - (personal) Gods; specific religions; Apple; (chosen) sports authorities; etc.

Musk does have the ability to move people. Charismatic. Queer. Eccentric. Brilliant. Very natural that he has massive fan following that see him (and his enterprises) in a divine light.

On the person itself - How many examples of geniuses (earth movers) do we know that are not eccentric in a variety of ways? It seems to come with that territory - inseparable. I am glad such people exist. They are the ones pushing technology and human accomplishments further. More power to such folks.

[GTO]

Tesla has the kind of fan following that can be compared only to "Apple". Both companies started off as the industry underdogs, have visionary + enigmatic founders, use a different approach to things, are super-duper cool, they think different and their purposes (Apple & the creative arts, Tesla and its zero-emission EVs) connect to the heart. Top that up with brilliant PR & marketing, and you build a brand whose value far exceeds anything you ever imagined.

The personalities of their founders / CEOs also have a lot to do with it. Ask your friends or family who the CEO of Chrysler, Mercedes or Toyota is and you'll get a blank stare. But I can bet you 100 bucks they know who leads Tesla.

[DigitalOne]

Originally Posted by Jeroen

If today you would ask these Musk fans (or Musk himself) what the relevance of “black lives Matter” is, or how they see their own role/actions/responsibility in such an issue, I am not so sure you would get a very coherent story..... The problem is, they sit in a sterile technology bubble with no thoughts, no concerns about society at large.

And they all have these super innovative plans to make the world a better place. .....I am always very cautious about people who are essentially one trick pony. I prefer people to be balanced in life and outlook on life, to show empathy and interest in their complete environment.

The Musks of this world are disruptors and they are the driving force behind a number of changes. But I am very concerned about their ultimate goals or thinking behind it.

I am sure glad that Musk is a "one-trick" pony (Well, in his case, he has multiple tricks - SpaceX, Tesla, The Boring co up his sleeve).

His "trick" is to solve complex engineering problems in cost effective way. If you ask an otherwise very articulate Barack Obama on how to build a reusable rocket he won't give a coherent answer. To draw up policy to use the right technologies in the right way is the job of the people in Washington, not Musk's.

[Malyaj]

I think this has more to do with people getting increasingly touchy about anything and everything these days. There is a tendency to take everything personally, every criticism of a product or an idea as an insult directed towards your own choices and hence an insult to your own intelligence.

It doesn't help that people want to be part of some sort of a cult to give meaning to their existence. Plenty of TV shows such as Big Bang Theory and Silicon Valley have elevated the techie / nerd lifestyle to one where the smart guys are constantly buying the best products after excruciatingly detailed analyses and belittling the 'commoners' who choose otherwise. Tell such a person that he/she made a wrong choice and they will stare at you like you left your brain to hang out in the sun. Funny thing is that the people acting and the ones writing those witty dialogues and insults are actors and writers and not techies!

I personally know of people who scan multiple apps, read hundreds of reviews and go into analysis paralysis over innocuous purchases and keep mulling over it for weeks. I hate to admit that some of this has infected me too. I also know people who are complete loners and find company in this sort of virtual brotherhood. In this virtual world there is only one qualifying criteria to be friends - your complete devotion to a common cause and willingness to brutally take down anyone who doesn't agree.

I don't know if Tesla has created or encouraged such communities, but I am sure they sit on the sidelines and enjoy the circus.

[extreme_torque]

Originally Posted by GTO

Top that up with brilliant PR & marketing, and you build a brand whose value far exceeds anything you ever imagined.

Except that Tesla does not spend even a cent on marketing. Their advertising is outsourced to the actual users of the car and I havent come across a single one until now who after owning and using Tesla said, I want to go back to a petrol/diesel/hybrid. For a company that has only been making passenger cars for 10 odd years, it is astounding. In 120 odd years since the invention of the automobile, no car company has risen so fast in such a short span of time and that too without marketing.

[OrangeCar]

A founder, who starts a payments firm. Merges it with eBay to double down on the payments idea with Peter Theil. Sells the firm. Makes money. Then goes on to found more startups using that money. Tesla. SpaceX. SolorCity. Hyperloop. TheBoringCompany.

Tesla did what established automakers could not do in decades. Provide a genuine alternative to fossil fuel based cars. Concept of superchargers and free life time charges (Model S and X).

SpaceX is a vehicle for Musk's ultimate dream. To go to Mars. And maybe settle there too.

TheBoringCompany too has made progress.

Solar city has worked to build Gigafactories with Tesla. Solar roof panels and Powerwall have helped some folks in the US to get off the powergrid. And some have returned excess power generated back to the grid.

All this by a man who is 48 years old. With his third wife. And about five-six children (or more).

Those are a lot of achievements for a man. And no doubt he would have a following. And some would become strong custodians of whatever he does and defend him or his companies.

Which auto head in our era has the same charisma and can back it up with such achievements. We have always remembered and cherished mavericks in the auto industry. Fords, Ferraris, Lamborginis have all been started by people - who in their times were mavericks in their own right.

There always will be fans and who would get fanatical about achievers who are wacky in their thought and also have things built to show to the world.

This fanaticism over such are personality is any day better over a second/third generation movie star (pouring milk on posters and coming to blows between fan clubs), silly political leaders who only want to win elections, or over religion.

At least, personalities such as Elon Musk show the world that there still are dreamers and they will do whatever it takes to get them there. I mean.. a rocket that takes off, and comes back to earth!

Having said all of these, I like Elon Musk for what he is achieved. Will I defend him if criticized? Nope! Have other things to do. Like reading Team-BHP posts.

[1.2TSI7DSG]

The closest thing I can think of is "Bhai Machaa raha hai apna"

As Orangecar said, this guy has achieved a lot and shown people that everything is possible.

[srini1785]

Originally Posted by Jeroen

The stock market has nothing to do with.....

Quiet Agreed. However what has social justice got to do with tech. Tesla/Musk are technocrats and true they do live in a sterile bubble. The question is when did Tesla/Musk claim that they were Social justice warriors?. That's not their job. Of course, you can fault them legally if they practice apartheid in their organisation which they don't.

[Kosfactor]

These fans are curiosities indeed, We have seen such fans for various things over the years - from Harry Potter to Dark Knight, closer home we`ve had fans for former President Abdul Kalam etc and in recent times for our current prime minister as well.

There is a sense of belonging for one fan to the community of common interest, it happens right here in T-BHP as well (Yes there are T-BHP Fans), thats pretty much all there is to it - the intensity of this fanfare for certain things is noteworthy, but the ignorance too is remarkable.

Back in college we used to see, Iron Maiden T-shirts, Bob Marley T-shirts - the yellow-red-green motif on their accessories etc , not a single one of them even had heard one song of theirs. I once asked a group who were discussing about APJ, great guy the usual good things he did etc, I simply asked them to detail one amazing thing he did while he was the President - it was silence, they simply did not know what to say. I`m not suggesting that APJ did nothing as President - maybe he did, but its an example of this phenomenon called Fans.