Former Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey and Tesla CEO Elon Musk demonstrated public respect for each other’s business ventures in a short but unnerving social media spat on social media platform X. Dorsey, writing from his handle @jack, replied to a tweet from Tesla’s handle and quoted “Make things people love” using the same words and added, “I love Tesla.” Musk, who bought Twitter from Dorsey and later rechristened it X, replied to the emotion with three hearts emojis, which indicated a vintage rapport between the two tech giants.
This public outreach comes during a period in which Tesla has been a victim of a wave of vandalism attacks in the United States. The vandalism campaign targeting Tesla cars and plants, according to sources, has gained momentum following Musk’s takeover of a new political role in the Trump administration. Whereas previously they were not looking eye to eye, their current public altercation vindicates that the relationship between the two is tense.
Tesla Sees Historic Vandalism Spree
While Musk and Dorsey were busy with their public show of solidarity, Tesla has been under attack with a string of surprise attacks on their cars and compounds. Tesla car showrooms, charging stations, and privately owned cars in other states have been attacked with Molotov cocktail fires, shootings, and even burning.
Things have been going crazy since the time Musk assumed his new position in the Trump government as the leader of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Although there is no solid evidence to blame Musk’s political activism for an uptick in mounting violence, the timing appears to raise the eyebrows of Tesla fans and critics alike.
Musk went publicly as far as to blame “left-wing groups” with writing and financing such violence. Progressive organizations such as Indivisible, however, did not turn to violence but condemned it and engaged in peaceful demonstrations against Musk’s politics and policies.
The Jack Dorsey and Elon Musk relationship has not been smooth since, particularly after Musk’s highly publicized takeover of Twitter in 2022 for $44 billion.
Dorsey initially favored the Musk takeover, with approval of the billionaire’s vision for the social media handle.
He changed his mind later. Walter Isaacson in his book on Musk said Dorsey later regretted it. Isaacson went on to add that the biography even showed Musk personally offered to buy back Dorsey’s Twitter shares at the initial price if needed, which made their business and financial dealings reveal the dysfunctional aspect of their operations.
Dorsey was not pleased to be criticizing Musk’s leadership post-takeover, tweeting that “it all went south” and that Musk “should have walked away” from the buyout instead of pursuing the divisive takeover. He wasn’t alone in feeling high and dry, however, as some other former Twitter employees and executives couldn’t get past the top-shelf changes that Musk implemented at the company.
But Dorsey’s position had softened in follow-up interviews, such as one he gave to Founders Fund, in which he had complimented Musk on his devotion to free speech on X. He had referred to Twitter’s previous ad-revenue model as “sinful,” suggesting it had compromised the purity of the site’s content. He had faulted Twitter’s previous board as “always a problem,” and defended Musk’s taking the firm private as “the greatest act.”
These are words that Dorsey would not know whether he loves Musk’s leadership but then comes to love the latter’s vision for X to be a gigantic platform with an emphasis on freedom of speech at the cost of conventional paradigms on advertising.
Tesla Stock Volatility and Political Backlash
After the politicization and vandalism by Musk, Tesla stock has made rollercoaster rides. Economic position and standing of the firm have been placed on standby mode as investors deliberate on the impact of Musk’s management decisions and outside issues such as political parties.
Musk’s recent comments that the Tesla car attacks are “paid for and organized” by left-wing activists further polarized individuals. Tesla’s supporters believe Tesla is unfairly attacked because of Musk’s politics, while Tesla’s critics have claimed that Musk himself created the outrage with his own polarizing behavior.
Progressive groups such as Indivisible have condemned violence on Tesla property in general but continue to oppose Musk’s policies. They are less interested in facilitating any vandalism and more interested in legal protesting and lobbying.
All these problems of Tesla notwithstanding, it remains the champion of the electric vehicle space, and its bottom line has been as attractive to investors. Unrelenting attack on its infrastructure and growing political polarization around Musk are difficult tasks for the company in the next two years.
The Future of Tesla and Twitter’s Dynamic
The recent argument between Elon Musk and Jack Dorsey on X shows the tense relationship between the two technology giants. Even if they did not agree on Twitter’s (now X) future by Musk, their recent argument shows that they still have a sense of respect towards each other’s position in the world of technology.
A passionate writer, Niharika wants to create an impact as she believes that Journalism is not just a profession, but a passion to follow and live in. With a keen eye for storytelling and a commitment to impactful writing. she strives to inform, engage, and inspire through the pieces that she crafts. Niharika has covered the 38th National Games, getting to know the lives of athletes and players closely. When not writing she is listening to music, or browsing through social media for more meaningful topics to cover.
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