Time has come to protect Tesla

A friendly note to Elon Musk

Dear Elon,

Congratulations on buying Twitter! You are doing humanity a huge favor.

Like always, nothing worth doing is easy. So many, including me, are deeply grateful that you are taking on this huge task. And what a mess it is. Let me make it very clear: In no way, shape or form do I want you to change your Twitter behavior. You are intelligent, responsible for yourself and shall do what you want to, when you want to be heard.

As predicted, this will make you more haters than friends in the short term. Without any pretention, I tried to warn you and hoped you would take my advice to protect yourself and Tesla a bit more (see my thread from six months ago here). That’s what Mamas do, and yes, we are annoying, especially when we come back six months later with the same ideas. Now it becomes urgent for Tesla, so please, hear me out.

We all need help protecting the Tesla brand, as Tesla is the only publicly traded entity you own, and therefore the ideal target for the haters of this world, which includes all those who rejoiced by hastily dropping the ads on Twitter. (This includes the OEMs which, you’d think, should have learned a lesson or two these past five years).

Tesla needs to be even more ahead of the curve to drive the narrative and not have you as the single spokesperson of the brand. This can materialize in many ways including giga factory tours, Semi test-drives, robotaxi use-cases (initially with drivers), regular podcasts and even select informational advertising (on Twitter?).

Yes, get the Tesla corporate Twitter account heating up, please. It was good to see two tweets from them today. Let’s get this account from 17m followers to 50m, or even better 100m. It should become the main news source for any Tesla news.

And to drive the narrative, there is so much to be said about Tesla’s safety, products and services. The message on safety needs to be heard by all. As always, you can then count on your Tesla Retail Army (still think this should be trademarked) to relay the message and ensure it gets heard in all corners of this world.

Here are the two polls done among this Tesla Family on Twitter six months ago and yesterday. Both have virtually the same result, for those expressing an opinion: 61%-66% want a communications team, 34%-38% don’t.

While we haven’t heard much yet from the “proactive legal team” that was put in place to protect Tesla’s reputation, we understand there might be things underway. Legal matters always drag in time and don’t have the immediate effect we wish for.

Please consider reinstating some version of your communications department and getting support from the best, up-to-date professionals for the 6th largest market-cap in the world. The Twitter platform will be an excellent amplifier of Tesla’s official statements and information. Tesla should educate to play offense now, while others are pulling back during this recession.

Set the rules from the start how the Communication Team will deal with the MSM: Tesla will reply to all requests, never spread lies or misinformation, and will always be data and evidence based. If media twists or spreads FUD, the legal team will take immediate action.

We would also appreciate clarification if Tesla’s Board will consider Share Buy-Backs as early as Q4-2022. The current stock price levels are - in my humble opinion - a great buying opportunity for all of us, including Tesla.

The next choppy months at Twitter must not affect Tesla. I am not talking about car sales or Tesla’s stock price (albeit there are many who rely on it and are in pain), but about finding regulatory support for FSD, permits, and generating overall a more favorable opinion in the public. It is time to move from Early Adopters to the Majorities.

This strategy will allow you to concentrate on making the blue birdie a hawk. Please go and disrupt all of them: from the payment providers, to those social media companies who sell without scruple our information, to the transmission platforms, and all the way to the media content and distribution providers.

Make this bird a hawk. And while we are at it, a Peregrine falcon, please. Saw two yesterday, dominating the scene, and took this as a sign to send it to you.

So yes, please continue to fight. Fight on all fronts. And concentrate on what you do best: Engineering and making this a better world and universe.

Good luck with the recruitments. Find the best, as you’ve done so far!

With all my gratitude,

Alexandra