Elon & Twitter

[TSLA Siempre]

Every lost customer is a loss which builds up over time. Eventually it's going to matter.

Maybe in 30 years. Do you honestly think people are going to care about today?

The CEO should not be alienating a huge part of the company's prospective customers. That is reckless and dumb. If we want Teslas to be as ubiquitous as Apple iPhones, the company needs to have broad appeal. The board needs to wake up.

 

[JRP3]

Used to be every new customer was advertisement to Tesla. So every lost one is a lost customer and I no longer talk to others outside of TMC and Twitter about our Tesla's. Started a new contract recently and during before Thanksgiving during a standup we chatted briefly what are people doing for Thanksgiving. I said driving from Chicago to Little Rock to visit sister. I would never in the past missed a chance to sell Tesla and how great a road trip with a Autopilot and SuperChargers are. No way I talked about it this time. No way with people I know little about. Never got in the way before. I work with other Software Engineers and they have the funds for Tesla's.

I can still talk about the technological advantage and the exclusivity of the Supercharger network. Once Tesla opens up the network that argument will be gone, hopefully the technological advantage will continue.

 

[mach-edriver]

Remember when EVERYBODY KNEW twitter was going to crash any day after letting go of staff?

Yeah, no.

Remember when EVERYBODY KNEW all advertisers were going to leave Twitter?

And they haven't because you saw an ad in your feed?

 

[bkp_duke]

N=1 data point. Take that for what it is worth.

My wife was in a serious accident last night about 10PM coming back from a house call, in our 2013 Model S. Even back in 2013, safest car on the road, bar none.

Car is totaled after multiple 360-degree spins and hitting two barricades. She got out, and walked away from that accident with zero injuries. The CHP officers on the scene were impressed the car didn't roll and that the occupant was so well protected.

Guess what will be replacing that car?
HINT: Another car also rated the safest car made; and the top 4 safest cars made - are all made by one company, Tesla.


When the rubber hits the road, most of us don't care about the political mumblings of the CEO. Safety matters most. Anything else, that's a compromise. Those that want to make that compromise, have at it.

 

[SO16]

Do you think if current BMW leadership came out today and said hey were Nazi's that BMW wouldnt take a huge hit.

For a year or two.

 

[SO16]

Yeah, no.

And they haven't because you saw an ad in your feed?

Media and many “experts” sure did.

As far as the ads, No. Because Elon said most came back and also as interaction is almost up to what it was before his purchase.

Not a perfect analysis but headed in the right direction. I’m not privy to inside Twitter ad sales.

 

[unk45]

Wait... lemme... lemme just... hold on a minute. Are you saying he bought Twitter for $44b and is just PRETENDING to be QAnon-adjacent... so he can sell CTs in Texas?
Didn’t see that coming. 4D chess for real!

Not all all, seriously. My point is the motivations for changing political outlook or disclosing even without change, usually have complex dynamics. Some of that is conveniently coincidental. The Twitter activity undoubtedly is consciously connected to getting more activity on the platform, whether he actually believes the Fauci stuff, for example, or not.

With Texas now crucial to SpaceX, the Boring Company, Tesla and even Neuralink there are several coincident issues:
-quite hostile reactions in California, explicitly including lawsuit exposure.
-Texas is easy for permitting, business activity;
-Texas has low taxes;
-Most of this is located around Austin, among the most liberal, well educated and enthusiastic environments in the State, also the State Capitol.
-The Texas legislature and State Government are pleased to observe a 'kindred spirit'

So, it isn't about just direct sales but about being on the correct side of regulatory pressure. Generating more Twitter activity is correlated with user view affirmation.

There are serious downsides too. I'm trying to understand how influences work.

 

[2daMoon]

Not really. It has been remarkably successful with workarounds but still buyers must do part the transaction themselves in local offices. Because Texas has rather arcane auto tax structures (more than 300 tax jurisdictions, details OT for this thread) having true direct sales allows stores to do the entire process within Texas, making the process simpler for a buyers.
As Cybertruck gets up there will be more and more buyers attracted to the product who are neither familiar with or motivated to cope with abnormal processes.

Would it not be easier with a few dozen Tesla stores that could do the entire process?
We do not know the % of Tesla sales closed in a store vs online, nor the % of online closings that happened in a store with help from a salesperson. We do know that Tesla sales are closely concentrated around areas where there are stores. Of course: chicken or egg?

I seem to recall reading that Tesla in Fremont can do the registration process for the buyer, and had been doing so for Texas customers back before the HQ moved.

The statutes prevent Tesla showrooms in Texas from doing it for the buyer the way that dealerships can (and are required by law to offer to do, though it is not required by law that they do). It is a very simple online or in-person process that any buyer of a used car purchased from a private, non-dealer owner must do.

 

[SO16]

Your second sentence negates your first. People are more likely to forget the negatives 30 years from now, (assuming Musk doesn't go even further off the rails in an epic fashion), but currently it's fresh in their minds. Elon is in the news daily.

Forgot the question mark.

Elon will be in the news daily for a while.

Elon was in the news daily during opening Tesla and the Canada truck drivers.

This is the loudest it’s been but will subside in time.

 

[Cherry Wine]

N=1 data point. Take that for what it is worth.

My wife was in a serious accident last night about 10PM coming back from a house call, in our 2013 Model S. Even back in 2013, safest car on the road, bar none.

Car is totaled after multiple 360-degree spins and hitting two barricades. She got out, and walked away from that accident with zero injuries. The CHP officers on the scene were impressed the car didn't roll and that the occupant was so well protected.

Guess what will be replacing that car?
HINT: Another car also rated the safest car made; and the top 4 safest cars made - are all made by one company, Tesla.


When the rubber hits the road, most of us don't care about the political mumblings of the CEO. Safety matters most. Anything else, that's a compromise. Those that want to make that compromise, have at it.

Some won’t, but some will. And where is the upside to what Elon is doing? It’s outrageous that Tesla’s reputation is being dragged through the mud for this.

 

[phantasms]

N=1 data point. Take that for what it is worth.

My wife was in a serious accident last night about 10PM coming back from a house call, in our 2013 Model S. Even back in 2013, safest car on the road, bar none.

Car is totaled after multiple 360-degree spins and hitting two barricades. She got out, and walked away from that accident with zero injuries. The CHP officers on the scene were impressed the car didn't roll and that the occupant was so well protected.

Guess what will be replacing that car?
HINT: Another car also rated the safest car made; and the top 4 safest cars made - are all made by one company, Tesla.


When the rubber hits the road, most of us don't care about the political mumblings of the CEO. Safety matters most. Anything else, that's a compromise. Those that want to make that compromise, have at it.

Oh no! I'm so happy that she's ok.

To continue with your point, I went down a depressed rabbit hole looking at other cars last night. 911 Turbo, 296 GTB, etc..etc.. In the end I circled back to just waiting forevereveververver for the new Tesla Roadster because I didn't want to put my family in something less safe.

 

[phantasms]

Some won’t, but some will. And where is the upside to what Elon is doing?

SaV!nG HuMAniTY oF Cours3!!!! /s

 

[ElectricIAC]

I'd think tax loss selling could happen right up to Dec 30th.

You only lose if you sell.

 

[Singuy]

Hardly, Elon was barely political in all the time I've followed Tesla, which is longer than most. The only one "stuck in a loop" is people such as yourselves who can't see the change. My negativity will stay right here thank you, put me on ignore if you only want happy thoughts.

I would say the nation was less divided and both parties were less annoying back then which didn't stifle progress as much it has today.

If this was a crowd of friends picking a movie to watch on a Friday night.

10 years ago this group of friends fight about the genre but eventually picking a movie

Today, this group of friends fight about the genre, what the movie stands for politically, if the characters are black, white, gay, or straight, and how if you give your money to one movie studio is supporting fascism or communism. The group of friends fight about it all night and no one sees the movie.

This is where productivity goes to die as Elon sees it.

 

[mach-edriver]

Now that we're in the era of the Twilight of Trump, Elon Musk has taken the title as the most the world's most attention-hungry, approval-seeking public figure. The incessant need to troll, to punch down, to stir controversy on a daily basis has only intensified since the TWTR deal closed.

To expect discipline and self-control at this point will be fruitless. The only way he can be reined is by the TSLA board....and that's not going to happem.

 

[SO16]

 

[Gigapress]

Often on the investors thread, there would be anecdotes of how some poster's acquaintance took a test drive in a Tesla and was "blown away".....immediate converts to the Tesla family. Those anecdotes were met positively and were affirmation of our own enthusiasm for Tesla products.

Now there are frequent anecdotes of potential lost sales due to prospective customers refusing to buy Telsa's because they find Elon Musk's behavior repellant. I personally know of 2 lost sales in the last 5 days for example.

Anecdotes aren't scientific data, but if you were excited to hear about the positive anecdotes back in the day, you should consider why you are willing to dismiss the negative ones now. Moreover, there is increasing (non-anecdotal) data about brand erosion in the last few months.

California sales data is the best proxy for demand for Tesla cars among American liberals.

The sample size is giant, more so than for any other state that publishes automotive sales data.

It’s comprehensive for all sales in the state which drastically reduces risk of potential bias inherently present in, for example, people posting anecdotes on an Internet forum or brand surveys.

It’s representative because we know most of the sales are going to the Bay Area and SoCal which are some of the most left-leaning regions of the entire USA.

What do these sales tell us?

• Tesla sales are up 130% in the last two years in California despite prices being up by like $10k or more compared to 2020.
• There is still a multi month backlog in California.
• 11% market share and rising
• 50%+ luxury market share
• New sales records in California quarter after quarter after quarter
• Model Y #1, M3 #2 best-selling vehicles of any kind in California
• Tesla is now the #2 best-selling brand (by number of vehicles, not revenue) in the state, after Toyota.
  • Toyota is leading by ~50k units in 2022, but that includes 35k Tacoma and Tundra pickup trucks sold and 20k Highlander large 3-row SUVs, which are segments Tesla doesn’t serve yet. Tesla is on pace to be the #1 brand in CA in 2023 and especially in ‘24 when Cybertruck is being made in meaningful volume.

 

[2101Guy]

Tweets today from Elon might be a bit…cranky. Considering his “reception” from the audience at the Chappelle concert last night.

 

[unk45]

For a year or two.

If that. There is a very long history of ignoring things that might hamper business.
Nobody blinked an eye about General Motors nor about Chase Bank, both of which kept dealing with no negative consequences at all. GM profited from rearmament quite directly.

In this thread we are assessing whether the recent utterances of Elon Musk will really make any difference. I doubt it.

For the record I was and am appalled about my two examples above and Elon's statements.
Just as with all the others, they're mostly ignored by the world at large, and controversial pro or con by people with strong views.

I note with dismay that most of these posts are about impact on TSLA securities. Were more of them about moral issues I would respect them more than I do.

To those of you who've lost money on speculation I have zero sympathy;
For those of us who find the views themselves objectionable, I agree. That, alas, is a seamy side effect of free speech.

 

[Prunesquallor]

Funday Monday on TMC. Ignore finger getting a workout.