As the saying goes, “It takes years, sometimes decades to build up a brand’s reputation, and just seconds to destroy it.” It took over 15 years to establish Tesla as the world’s leading electric vehicle company. Now, after just six short weeks of Elon Musk’s activities across the globe, but especially in Washington as head of the Department of Government Efficiency, thousands of nervous and disillusioned owners are finding novel ways to divorce themselves from the brand and the South African oligarch.
Owners becoming inventive in finding humorous ways to distance from Tesla
In the last month or so, many drivers have become more inventive, and are disassociating themselves from Musk in more humorous ways by removing their Tesla emblems and swapping them for badges from other automakers—like Audi and Mazda. One car was even adorned with full Audi A5 badging.
There has also been a spike in sales of stickers that read “I bought this car before I knew Elon was crazy.” Such stickers have been seen from California to Germany. Since many Tesla owners want to dissociate themselves from the CEO, one company that sells such stickers claimed to be selling hundreds of them a day.
In the last few weeks, things have gotten more heated, and apathy for Tesla has increased significantly. Some owners are even concerned that their cars may be purposefully damaged. In one instance, an owner even employed an onboard projection system requesting the motorists not bully him because he was already embarrassed to be driving a Cybertruck. A short film projected onto another Tesla was signed “Mussk production,” where the “ss” alludes to the Nazi paramilitary group called the Schutzstaffel.
From Loved To Unloved In Just A Few Weeks
Tesla has gone through a lot over the last 15 or so years since its inception. In the beginning, it was a little-known company that was despised by proponents of fossil fuels and adored only by a small group of EV enthusiasts.
To make Tesla a globally adored electric car brand, the EV community and Tesla staff put in a lot of effort especially since the Model S was launched in 2012. Then, in early 2025, a certain South African’s activity on social media, the acquisition of Twitter, a frenzied foray into politics, a few dubious salutes, and now the brand is imploding.
Even though many owners are trying to approach this unexpected turn of events with humor, it is astounding to witness in real time the impact on Tesla’s brand in such a short space of time.
Yes indeed, it takes years to establish a brand, and only a few seconds to demolish the name. It will be interesting to see whether Musk and his staffers try to stop the rot and how they do it.
This story was originally published on forbes.com.
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