As Elon Musk and his followers navigate the federal landscape, searching for agencies to toss into the “wood chipper,” a burgeoning grassroots initiative is emerging to challenge the world’s wealthiest man in a way that strikes close to home.
While the judicial system is actively reviewing the actions of Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency, the legal process is often sluggish — leaving citizens feeling increasingly restless.
Some individuals across the U.S. shocked by Musk’s government transformations have opted to sell their Teslas or even resorted to acts of vandalism.
However, hundreds are now preparing to stage protests outside Tesla dealerships nationwide on February 15 — a movement that gathered momentum last week, initiated by disinformation expert Joan Donovan and propelled by documentary filmmaker and Bill & Ted actor Alex Winter on Bluesky.
“As citizens, we possess various avenues of influence,” Donovan shared in a conversation with TechCrunch. “One is communicating with our representatives, while another is raising public awareness regarding the looting of federal data, especially regarding Musk’s approach, which appears to lack both transparency and accountability.”
The movement that began on Bluesky has since expanded into planned gatherings at Tesla showrooms in cities including Austin, Portland, Seattle, Kansas City, and Mesa, Arizona.
Tesla and Musk have not yet replied to requests for comment, but TechCrunch will update if they do respond.
The motivation behind Donovan’s initiative — who is also an assistant professor of journalism at Boston University, acting as a concerned citizen — sparked when she witnessed small protests outside Tesla outlets last week.
“I was inspired by a small protest in Maine, where individuals brought signs to a Tesla charging station. It opened up dialogue and allowed people to engage with one another about what’s occurring,” Donovan remarked.
Encouraged by this, Donovan began promoting the idea earlier this week.
“If Musk believes he can swiftly maneuver through Washington, D.C., downloading personal data, we can surely make some noise in front of Tesla dealerships,” she wrote on February 8, linking to Tesla’s directory of stores in the U.S. She concluded her post with the hashtag, “#TeslaTakeover.”
Winter, who collaborated with Donovan to present his 2022 documentary The YouTube Effect at various universities, took notice of her posts and reached out to assist in the organization of this initiative.
“Sell your Teslas, divest your stock, join the protests,” Winter posted on Bluesky on February 10. “Harming Tesla is a means to hinder Musk, and doing so will protect lives and our democracy.”
Following Winter’s post, he and Donovan motivated individuals to establish their own local Tesla Takeover events. By Friday afternoon, 42 protest gatherings had been organized across the U.S., in states including California, Florida, Texas, and New York.
Winter explained to TechCrunch that he is working alongside The Disruption Project, an organization that provides training for individuals engaged in large-scale activism. He indicated that hundreds had RSVP’d for the various protests, with new events emerging daily. Some participants are even planning gatherings internationally.
These protests aim to achieve more than just changing public perception and fostering community; they target Musk’s substantial wealth, which largely stems from his approximately 20% ownership stake in Tesla. This creates a level of vulnerability to significant fluctuations in the company’s stock price, especially considering he has leveraged a considerable amount of borrowed funds against those shares.
While the precise financial figures are unclear, as detailed in an April 2024 regulatory filing, Musk had utilized nearly 60% of his Tesla shares at that time as collateral for loans. Should the stock price plummet sufficiently, Musk’s lenders could require him to settle outstanding debts or renegotiate their agreements.
“The overarching goal is to diminish his wealth, create a lack of confidence in the company’s future, and encourage substantial selling of shares, which would undoubtedly impact him,” Winter elaborated. “Moreover, I see immense value in the broader public-centric activism and educational aspect of this.”
Winter’s expertise equips him well for this educational mission. He has produced documentaries addressing issues like the Panama Papers (which exposed global financial crimes and corruption) and the potential dangers posed by YouTube’s algorithmic recommendations. He is also an advocate for the “Free our Feeds” initiative, which seeks to establish an open social media framework on Bluesky’s AT Protocol.
Given this background, it’s understandable that he has been increasingly concerned about Musk’s influence over the tech landscape.
Donovan contends that Musk is “exploiting the lack of understanding among many Americans regarding the government’s functionality” and disseminating disinformation. She fears this could incite violence, especially as Musk and his supporters begin to target government officials, judges, and their families.
This concern fuels Donovan’s belief in the necessity of public protests.
“I hope that these gatherings foster local action while promoting global awareness, encouraging participants to discover more localized resistance efforts,” Donovan shared. “I believe Musk has misjudged how power is derived; it’s not solely from the federal government but also from the states. Various state entities can play significant roles in holding the federal government accountable.”
Compiled by Techarena.au.
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