Elon Musk Shocked
ChatGPT/ The Secret Developer
If you’re working on an exciting product in a publicly traded company you’ll know that the behavior of your CEO has very real effects on your working life.
So, when a CEO goes full cosplay as a bureaucratic warlord there will be very real consequences to that decision.
You know where this is going. Elon Musk slashed social programs like he’s got a vendetta against empathy and now people don’t want to splash $50,000 on a new Tesla. Who knew?
The Story
Tesla’s sales just took a nosedive, down 13 percent year over year in Q1 2025. That’s a staggering 20 percent drop from the same period in 2023. For those of you not fluent in “Elonese,” that’s a lot of Cybertrucks sitting sad and unpurchased in showrooms. Worse for the company some of these expensive vehicles are getting rather charred because protesters are beginning to set them alight.
Tesla cars have become more than a product. It has become the embodiment of the “The Department of Government Efficiency” thing, that “I’m not a fascist, why would you think that?” fascist salute. People are protesting, not least with their wallets and it is hitting Musk’s bottom line.
It’s Not About Politics, Wokester
It’s rather the point that this isn’t about politics. It’s about dividing people when you have a product to sell, and people’s careers which depend on your actions.
This really affects workers at the companies Musk heads up, not just Tesla. Just imagine building your brand on being the cool, eco-conscious choice for progressive tech bros… and then going full budget Lex Luthor. It makes Facebook and their “masculine energy” look tame in comparison, and I don’t know where the software developers who disagree with this stuff might go.
The Escape
I’ve worked in places where managers thought adding a second reviewer to code review would speed things up. Somehow, that kind of logic seems to be driving the Tesla playbook on the inside and the outside. And no, I’m not suggesting Elon Musk is reviewing PRs at Tesla, though, at this point, nothing would surprise me.
Meanwhile, back in the real world, regular devs are still having to get approval from their feature team, tech lead, manager, and some guy named Bob in DevOps before they can take a two-day vacation. And Elon? He’s redefining “feature team” as a small band of loyalists willing to burn down government infrastructure and tweet about it.
Here’s the kicker: the used Tesla market is also crashing, with former fanboys flipping their Model 3s like they’re radioactive. So, if you’ve been looking to snag one for cheap, now might be the time. Just don’t be surprised if it comes with protest graffiti as a bonus.
Can It Be True?
Elon has a plan of course. It involves robotaxis, AI, and (I assume) a healthy dose of unearned optimism. Because what better way to distract shareholders than by promising an “unsupervised” robotaxi pilot in Austin? Just don’t ask about the dozens of fatal crashes involving “partially automated” features. Minor detail.
Conclusion
You have to hand it to Musk. He’s managed to become the world’s most successful example of why hard-core programming and political cosplay don’t mix. Unless, of course, your business model includes torching your own reputation with the same efficiency you claim to bring to federal bureaucracy.