Latest news with #MatthewLabrot
Yahoo
9 hours ago
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Insider interview with ex-Tesla manager reveals it could soon be 'game over' for Elon Musk's Tesla: 'I don't think that there's anything he can do'
A former Tesla general manager has turned heads with a shocking new interview in which he laid the struggling EV maker's troubles squarely at the feet of CEO Elon Musk. Once a five-year Tesla employee and still a Tesla owner, Matthew Labrot lost his job just days after founding the group Tesla Employees Against Elon, according to the Hard Reset Substack, which conducted an exclusive interview with Labrot. Futurism shined additional light on the story, highlighting how Labrot went as far as to say it's "game over" for Tesla under Musk. "It's time to say the quiet part out loud," Labrot originally wrote in an anonymous letter to other Tesla workers prior to being fired, per Hard Reset. "Let's be clear: we are not the problem. Our products are not the problem. Our engineering, service, and delivery teams are not the problem. The problem is demand. The problem is Elon." Despite being passionate about the company's mission to deliver electric vehicles to the world, Labrot said his concerns grew as Musk's public antics became more political and more controversial. "We noticed customers, return customers, shying away from us a little bit," Labrot told Hard Reset. "And that's when I started to see the things he was putting on Twitter and the political views he started to have." Labrot became increasingly disillusioned as Musk's politics aligned him with the very people, industries, and policies that were in direct opposition to Tesla's core mission as an electric-vehicle company. "The people that he was choosing to support were the exact people we had been fighting against while trying to accelerate sustainable energy," Labrot told Hard Reset. Data backs Labrot's observations about customer enthusiasm, with a huge drop in Tesla's sales coinciding with an increase in Musk's public-facing political activism. Year-over-year sales figures in Europe, a key market for electric vehicles, showed a staggering 49% drop in April, per CNBC. The decline came even as overall electric-vehicle sales increased by 34.1%. Globally, Tesla sales plunged 13% in the first quarter of 2025 as compared to the year prior, according to Yahoo! Finance. What do you think of Tesla and Elon Musk? Elon is the man Love the company; hate the CEO I'm not a fan of either I don't have an opinion Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. Tesla's slumping sales are bad news for consumers and the environment. In 2024, the Tesla Model Y outcompeted the Toyota Corolla to become the world's number-one-selling vehicle, according to Statista. Removing the world's best-selling vehicle from many consumers' list of viable options means fewer choices available and perhaps not purchasing the vehicle that otherwise would have been best for them and their families. As a result, some of these would-be Tesla customers could end up purchasing pollution-releasing, dirty-fuel-burning vehicles instead of an EV, further delaying the transition to a clean-energy future. Thankfully, people looking to purchase an electric vehicle have more options now than ever before. While the EV market more broadly continues to grow at a rapid rate, Labrot did not foresee such a rosy future for Tesla, once the industry's dominant player. Short of Musk completely departing the company and selling all his shares, Labrot didn't think there was much Tesla could do at this point to alter perceptions. "I don't think that there's anything he can do to change the people's opinion that have decided they're not going to support Tesla outside of him leaving," Labrot told Hard Reset. "I think for Tesla, as far as vehicle sales go, it's game over." Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
Yahoo
10 hours ago
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Insider interview with ex-Tesla manager reveals it could soon be 'game over' for Elon Musk's Tesla: 'I don't think that there's anything he can do'
A former Tesla general manager has turned heads with a shocking new interview in which he laid the struggling EV maker's troubles squarely at the feet of CEO Elon Musk. Once a five-year Tesla employee and still a Tesla owner, Matthew Labrot lost his job just days after founding the group Tesla Employees Against Elon, according to the Hard Reset Substack, which conducted an exclusive interview with Labrot. Futurism shined additional light on the story, highlighting how Labrot went as far as to say it's "game over" for Tesla under Musk. "It's time to say the quiet part out loud," Labrot originally wrote in an anonymous letter to other Tesla workers prior to being fired, per Hard Reset. "Let's be clear: we are not the problem. Our products are not the problem. Our engineering, service, and delivery teams are not the problem. The problem is demand. The problem is Elon." Despite being passionate about the company's mission to deliver electric vehicles to the world, Labrot said his concerns grew as Musk's public antics became more political and more controversial. "We noticed customers, return customers, shying away from us a little bit," Labrot told Hard Reset. "And that's when I started to see the things he was putting on Twitter and the political views he started to have." Labrot became increasingly disillusioned as Musk's politics aligned him with the very people, industries, and policies that were in direct opposition to Tesla's core mission as an electric-vehicle company. "The people that he was choosing to support were the exact people we had been fighting against while trying to accelerate sustainable energy," Labrot told Hard Reset. Data backs Labrot's observations about customer enthusiasm, with a huge drop in Tesla's sales coinciding with an increase in Musk's public-facing political activism. Year-over-year sales figures in Europe, a key market for electric vehicles, showed a staggering 49% drop in April, per CNBC. The decline came even as overall electric-vehicle sales increased by 34.1%. Globally, Tesla sales plunged 13% in the first quarter of 2025 as compared to the year prior, according to Yahoo! Finance. What do you think of Tesla and Elon Musk? Elon is the man Love the company; hate the CEO I'm not a fan of either I don't have an opinion Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. Tesla's slumping sales are bad news for consumers and the environment. In 2024, the Tesla Model Y outcompeted the Toyota Corolla to become the world's number-one-selling vehicle, according to Statista. Removing the world's best-selling vehicle from many consumers' list of viable options means fewer choices available and perhaps not purchasing the vehicle that otherwise would have been best for them and their families. As a result, some of these would-be Tesla customers could end up purchasing pollution-releasing, dirty-fuel-burning vehicles instead of an EV, further delaying the transition to a clean-energy future. Thankfully, people looking to purchase an electric vehicle have more options now than ever before. While the EV market more broadly continues to grow at a rapid rate, Labrot did not foresee such a rosy future for Tesla, once the industry's dominant player. Short of Musk completely departing the company and selling all his shares, Labrot didn't think there was much Tesla could do at this point to alter perceptions. "I don't think that there's anything he can do to change the people's opinion that have decided they're not going to support Tesla outside of him leaving," Labrot told Hard Reset. "I think for Tesla, as far as vehicle sales go, it's game over." Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet. Sign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
10-05-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Tesla Fired Employee Who Created Website Criticizing Billionaire Elon Musk: Report
35-year-old Matthew Labrot was reportedly fired by Tesla Inc. (NASDAQ:TSLA) for setting up a website criticizing the company's CEO, Elon Musk. What Happened: Labrot, who was in a management role and trained Tesla sales employees, set up a website called "Tesla Employees Against Elon," which was an open letter to the company to replace Musk as CEO, Business Insider reported on Thursday. "I was very happy with my position, and I could have continued to work in that role my whole life," Labrot said in the report. However, he began to have doubts about the billionaire ever since his acquisition of Twitter (now X) and his support of the Trump campaign in the run-up to last year's presidential election. Trending: Shark Tank's Kevin O'Leary called Missing Ring his biggest mistake — don't repeat history — . A turning point came when Musk allegedly performed a Nazi salute at an event for U.S. President Donald Trump. "When your CEO makes one of those decisions, it pulls the company along with it," he said. Labrot said that Musk's political views affected Tesla sales on the ground as customers abandoned the brand. He also said that Tesla's leadership did not sufficiently guide employees on how to handle "protests and vandalism" against the company. Labrot also spray-painted his Cybertruck with anti-Musk messages a day after setting up his website as a sign of protest. He was subsequently fired for "using company resources to build a website that did not align with the company's perspective," the report suggests. Labrot denies the claim and has continued to attend Tesla protests. Why It Matters: Musk's EV giant has been grappling with a difficult quarter, where the company experienced a 71% plunge in YoY profits and dwindling sales both in the U.S. as well as in Europe. Tesla has tried multiple ways to appeal to a wider audience, including promising affordable models, rebranding and pivoting marketing strategies, as well as offering FSD transfers for free. However, the company's inventory is piling up, with there reportedly being over 10,000 unsold Cybertrucks currently in the EV giant's U.S. inventory. Musk had also said he would be scaling back on his DOGE commitments to focus on the company. Be that as it may, Musk's endorsement of right-wing political ideals and close ties to Donald Trump have affected Tesla owners in the country, who continue to deal with rising insurance premiums and vandalism. Read Next: Invest where it hurts — and help millions heal: Invest in Cytonics and help disrupt a $390B Big Pharma stronghold. Inspired by Uber and Airbnb – Deloitte's fastest-growing software company is transforming 7 billion smartphones into income-generating assets – with $1,000 you can invest at just $0.30/share! Photo Courtesy: Shutterstock Send To MSN: Send to MSN Up Next: Transform your trading with Benzinga Edge's one-of-a-kind market trade ideas and tools. Click now to access unique insights that can set you ahead in today's competitive market. Get the latest stock analysis from Benzinga? This article Tesla Fired Employee Who Created Website Criticizing Billionaire Elon Musk: Report originally appeared on
