Joanne Wilson says she is part of a growing group of Americans who are getting rid of their Teslas in response to Elon Musk’s actions. The angel investor, along with her husband, venture capitalist Fred Wilson, previously owned two Teslas but has decided they no longer want them. Wilson shared her thoughts with Business Insider, stating, “one voice can turn into many.”
The community of Tesla owners distancing themselves from their vehicles over dissatisfaction with Elon Musk has seen a new addition. Joanne Wilson, former angel investor and founder of the Gotham cannabis concept store, revealed to Business Insider that she and her husband are now part of this movement, which has been sparked by Musk’s activities related to the DOGE initiative. During a phone conversation on Monday, Wilson expressed her sentiments about the situation, emphasizing the power of individual voices to create a collective impact.
In a blog post this week, Wilson recounted that she and her husband purchased a Model S in 2014 shortly after their parking garage was equipped with electric chargers. They later acquired a second Tesla for use in New York and California, noting that it was the vehicle favored by the coastal elite. However, she now feels a sense of embarrassment when driving a car so closely linked to Musk, although she mentioned not experiencing the public shaming some Cybertruck owners have reported lately.
Wilson recently traded her Tesla from California for an electric Volvo and found it amusing that the Swedish automaker only valued her trade-in at $2,000. In her blog post, she questioned whether her decision was influenced by Musk’s apparent lack of empathy in his approach to disrupting government norms or the unappealing design of the new Cybertruck, comparing it to something out of Mad Max.
Regarding the second Tesla, Wilson humorously considered letting patrons at her Gotham cannabis boutiques vent their frustrations by smashing the car with sledgehammers, potentially creating a viral event for social media. She mused that monetizing such an event could bring in more revenue than what Volvo offered her for the first vehicle.
On the other hand, some Tesla owners who are not in a position to sell or destroy their cars are purchasing bumper stickers with messages such as “Elon Killed My Resale Value” and “I Bought This Before We Knew Elon Was Crazy.” Sticker maker Matthew Hiller mentioned that he has been selling as many as 500 stickers daily in recent weeks, coinciding with a broader wave of “Tesla Takedown” protests occurring across the United States. In addition, police are looking into several vandalism incidents targeting Tesla dealerships and vehicles, with some arrests having been made.
