From bumper stickers to boycotts, how Tesla owners are distancing themselves from Elon Musk
CBC
Many Tesla owners who were once proud to own the electric vehicle are reportedly now embarrassed to be associated with the brand, as public furor against the company and its CEO, billionaire Elon Musk, gains momentum.
Musk's influence in the White House has been tied to anger directed at Tesla — including Molotov cocktails thrown at a showroom in Las Vegas, dozens of Tesla cars vandalized in Hamilton and protests across North America and Europe. Even the Vancouver International Auto Show, which began on Wednesday and runs until Sunday, removed the automaker from this year's event, citing safety concerns for attendees and exhibitors.
Now some Tesla owners who aren't fans of the company's owner are either scooping up anti-Musk bumper stickers or boycotting the brand by getting rid of their vehicles altogether.
Unhappy with U.S. President Donald Trump's treatment of Canada, John Suk, of St. Catharines, Ont., decided to sell his Tesla and buy a Hyundai — even though he says he admired Musk's innovations in the auto industry and his work in the field of space, and was impressed by Tesla's charging network.
"I always loved the car. I had it for five years. But with Elon Musk behaving the way he is, … I can't support the ownership of that company," he said, adding that he believes Musk is destroying the brand.
Suk said he is boycotting everything American and will not travel to the U.S. right now. "I stopped doing that last year and I won't go there till Trump's long gone."
The anti-Tesla sentiment in Canada has only been gaining traction as people in several cities, including Ottawa and Vancouver, joined a wave of "Tesla Takedown" protests to voice displeasure with Musk's role in sweeping cuts to the U.S. federal workforce and cancelling contracts related to humanitarian programs.
"You can't divorce the personality from the business enterprise, and so, generally speaking, CEOs tend to keep a lower profile," said Marvin Ryder, an associate professor of marketing at McMaster University's DeGroote School of Business in Hamilton.
"Mr. Musk in his world, much like Mr. Trump in his world, have decided that they want the personality to outshine the brand," he said. "So if I was on the board of Tesla, if I am one of the owners of Tesla stock, I am not happy."
Ryder added that he believes Musk should take a leave of absence from the company while pursuing his work with the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), announced by Trump even before he took office on Jan. 20, with a promise to slash jobs and spending.
"Leave your CEO's position and divorce yourself from the company while you go and do that," he said.
Tesla did not immediately respond to CBC News's request for comment.
Don Flatt says he also is not a fan of Musk, but he really wanted to enter the electric car market. He found a used 2024 Tesla Model 3 and convinced himself that because it was used, he wasn't actually giving any money to Musk.
"I bought my Tesla before Elon Musk became a crazy person," he said, adding that he loves the car for its efficiency and fast charging.
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