PeterSK
Well-Known Member
- First Name
- Peter
- Joined
- Nov 22, 2022
- Threads
- 5
- Messages
- 207
- Reaction score
- 222
- Location
- Cambridge, MA
- Vehicles
- 2023 FG/FE R1S, 2020 Model Y
- Occupation
- Retired / board director
I think my Musk 3-dimensional chess theory to sell Teslas to his new fans, while it may have been Elon's hope, is a fail...I'm new here, and my first stab at this touched (as neutrally as possible) on politics so was deleted. I'll try again with my observations on this question.
I read a respected TSLA analyst's comments the other day (can't remember who) which I agree with, who said that Musk's Twitter activity has three negative impacts on Tesla/TSLA: 1) Musk sold $4B of TSLA to help fund the acquisition, and there are concerns he will need to sell more; 2) He is distracted by Twitter at a time when Tesla needs attention to get Austin/Berlin fully ramped up and new plants launched, and delayed new products and software done, etc.; 3) Because of his strong personal association with Tesla, Musk's comments/actions on Twitter create a reputational impact on the Tesla brand.
I've owned Teslas and TSLA for about ten years, and observed over the decade that as Musk has gained fame, he's become more of a publicity-starved and often puerile jerk. This is particularly true in the last few years, as Tesla's success and Musk's incredible wealth materialized. He was no longer struggling with Model 3 production hell, so had time on his hands and started looking for other diversions like Twitter.
I run an annual fundraising Tesla raffle for a Boston-based climate nonprofit, Climate XChange. This year is our 7th year, and sales started out slow. We fixed some technical issues with Google Ads and our site index, but they were still slow. Then we got feedback that some past and potential ticket buyers are no longer excited about winning a Tesla, given Musk's recent behavior. So I looked at alternatives, and we made deposits and added the R1S and R1T as extra grand prize options for those not interested in a Tesla! My research brought me here, which reminds me of what Tesla Motors Club used to be in the old days, before the huge volumes of Models 3 and Y. I wound up put down a personal R1S deposit as well, to replace my aging 2016 X.
So my response to the original question is that Musk's Twitter antics are probably not a near-term boon for Rivian and other EVs' sales, at least because at the moment most are supply-constrained, but I think they will help Rivian and other EV brands establish themselves as viable alternatives to Tesla, perhaps earlier than might have happened otherwise.
That said, maybe this is all Musk playing 3-dimensional chess to drive Tesla's mission of auto industry transformation - he gets some of the original Tesla buyers to switch to and drive growth of other EV brands, while his new fans start buying Teslas!
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