Protesters gather outside Tesla Factory
Group reportedly included employees
TESLA CEO Elon Musk has made a series of somewhat manic decisions recently. He decided to sell all of his possessions, named his baby X Æ A-12, and last week made the decision to resume production at Tesla’s plant in California, against the lockdown rules of the county where the factory is situated.
This week a group of protesters, including Tesla employees, gathered outside the plant in Alameda county, calling for the CEO to be arrested for putting people’s health at risk.
One employee, interviewed by Fox KTVU, said that he feared that Musk was putting profits over the danger of the coronavirus pandemic. “I’m very disappointed in the leadership. I’m very disappointed in Elon Musk putting profits over the health of his workers,” he said.
County health officials have approved Tesla to resume its operations, but the approval came days after manufacturing had already been restarted at the Fremont location. Steve Zeltzer, a representative of Public Workers for Action Advocacy also interviewed by KTVU, called Tesla’s course of action a “travesty,” and said that the state of California should call Elon Musk’s bluff and arrest him. The multi-billionaire last week asked that “if anyone is arrested, I ask that it only be me.”
“Elon Musk who is a billionaire has said he is above the law. He doesn’t have to follow the shelter in place law and he said you come and arrest me. Well I say the government here in Fremont and the government of California should arrest him,” Zeltzer said.
The demonstrations come at the same time as a Delaware judge denied a request by lawyers acting on behalf of Tesla shareholders to pursue a lawsuit banning Musk from using his private Twitter account to share information about Tesla. The judge said that attorneys had not demonstrated sufficient reason for the lawsuit to proceed, but noted that he may return to the request pending Musk’s future conduct.
Lawyers acting on behalf of shareholders said that the “final straw” was when Musk last month tweeted that he thought Tesla’s stock price was too high, causing the stock price to fall by 12% in the half an hour following the tweet.
Tesla stock price is too high imo
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 1, 2020
Musk’s tweets have also led a group of cities and states to vie for his attention, after he hinted that he may move Tesla’s manufacturing operations away from California. He has reportedly been in talks with Texas’ state’s governor, Greg Abbott, who said that “Texas is a perfect fit for Tesla.”
Texas Governor Says He’s Talked To Elon Musk About Moving Tesla.
It's true. Texas is a perfect fit for Tesla.
https://t.co/12rP75lnDN— Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) May 13, 2020
Meanwhile, Tulsa Mayor G. T. Bynum, hinted that if Tesla were to move its operations to the Oklahoma city, its police forces would use Tesla Cybertrucks. Alongside the tweet he shared a picture of the distinctive cyber truck with a police design on it. If it were to materialise, it would not be the first police force to use the reportedly bulletproof car – Dubai Police have previously hinted that it will add the Cybertruck to it’s famously flamboyant fleet, which includes Ferraris and Bugattis.
If @Tesla and #Tulsa team up to change the world, it would only be right to #BuyLocal. #cybertruck @elonmusk pic.twitter.com/cQJ5baF1iN
— G.T. Bynum (@gtbynum) May 17, 2020
Driving.co.uk has reached out to Tesla for comment.
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