At Tesla, not everyone is a fan of Musk's style. A group of current and former employees published an open letter calling for his departure. They believe he's harming the company and that his polarizing stances are driving away some customers. Their message is clear: "The problem isn't our products. It's not our job. The problem is Elon."
Dissent is brewing at Tesla
The letter directly points to the drop in sales: in 2024, Tesla experienced its first real decline in ten years. And the start of 2025 is even worse. While the electric car market grew by 10% in the United States, Tesla declined by 9%. Not great for a company that's supposed to be leading the way.
Tesla has tried to explain this downturn by the transition to a new Model Y, but it doesn't hold water, according to the signatories. They explain that the vehicles are being produced, that the quality is there... but that they remain in parking lots. "Demand is broken," they write. And they blame Elon Musk for this.
In their text, they also revisit a phrase the CEO recently made, promising to "refocus" on Tesla. For them, this is off the mark. They believe it's not a question of attention, but of behavior. "It's insulting. Does that mean that if things are going badly, it's because he wasn't present enough? No. What's weighing us down is what he says and what he does.""
Their suggestion? Move on. Let Tesla move forward without its iconic boss, who has become more of a problem than an asset. But talking about Elon Musk like that isn't without consequences. Matthew LaBrot, one of the letter's authors, was fired. He had worked at Tesla for over five years. He claims that it was his role in publishing the text that cost him his job. And as luck would have it, the X account that relayed the message was suspended—X being, of course, the platform bought by... Elon Musk. He's a fine "free speech absolutist"...
Behind the scenes, the situation is becoming tense. Tesla has even asked the workers at the Texas factory, those who work on Cybertrucks and Model Ys, to take a week off. Not to catch their breath. To wait for things to get going again! Meanwhile, the board of directors is burying its head in the sand. But the message has gotten through: some people at Tesla are fed up.
0 Comments