I feel compelled to write my thoughts here too after reading David’s post and hearing the echoes in it of the many, many amazing qualities that David possesses and that I admire so much. David is truly a person of integrity and great character, much to the contrary of others involved in his departure. I watched this situation grow and morph in various ways over the last few months and I have to disagree with Darryl - the truth is really not boring at all.
Instead of commenting on the uglier details and lamenting about things, I’d like to share just a few impressions and anecdotes and leave it at that. When I first met David years ago, he was heading a small marketing team at an automotive parts company in Southern California. He liked his job and, of course, was brilliant at it - breathing much needed new life into a conservative company through a brand overhaul. I was so impressed by him because he didn’t just hire an agency to do all of the work for him - instead he put together his own media campaigns, taught his team how to produce commercials and print ads and used some very nontraditional messaging to get phenomenonal results. David taught me great lessons about team building, management and leadership. Even though I’m in a very different field (big firm attorney), I use those lessons everyday. David nurtured a very small team, believed so much in each one of them and their ability to grow that each gained so much more success than they ever would have done in the unfortunate environment David encountered at Tesla
(here's an emoticon for you Darryl).
When we were thinking about relocating to the Bay Area, David mentioned Tesla as a company he was interested in. In his usual steadfast nature, David sought out Tesla for about six months before he got an interview there. He believed so much in what Tesla was doing to make a difference that he had to be a part of it. It would have been easy for him to jump into an agency job or work in-house somewhere, but he had his eye on a target and, man, once he's locked in, he does not give up.
It was a great day when the offer letter came in from Tesla. David was excited to get started and knew that he had a lot to offer the company with his unique background in law, marketing and cars - and he was right. From the Microsoft and Mattel deals to a vast amount of “real” press, including Newsweek, WSJ and Business Week, David put Tesla out in the public eye and in a positive light. It’s very telling that the only write-up Tesla’s gotten since David left the
PR role (aside from news of hirings and firings) is in a neighborhood newspaper. It’s really a shame.
I think I’ve about used up my space here. Before I go, I’d also like to say a public thank you to all of the current and former Tesla employees that spent hours on the phone and in person, sent wonderfully touching emails and really supported David through a difficult time. He was so overwhelmed by all of the support and I know will forever be grateful for everyone’s kindness and gestures of good will.
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