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Guest Essay
By Elizabeth Spiers
Ms. Spires is an opinion writer, journalist, and virtual media strategist.
Some of the disruptions Tesla is facing — a 9% drop in first-quarter profit from last year, months of shareholder stress and the layoff of about one-tenth of its employees — are the result of points affecting the EV industry as a whole. But many of Tesla’s upheavals are unique to Tesla and the fact that its CEO and co-founder, Elon Musk, is unique to the auto industry. It’s a Silicon Valley creature in a Detroit ecosystem that values innovation in its own right, even at a time when it could focus more on protection and quality. His philosophy and technique for managing Tesla is materialized through his favorite project, the Cybertruck.
Although it fits the technical definition of a truck (it has a box), the vehicle looks more like an origami edition of El Camino. Musk suggested that its stainless metal exterior could be bulletproof; Some homeowners say it rusts.
It’s not unusual for new car and truck models to have failures, however, the Cybertruck, which has only sold around 4,000 units, was recently recalled because the throttle had an irritating problem, much like a parachute with a large hole. Problem in the glass ceiling. Some owners have reportedly received an alert stating that “the vehicle may also suddenly lose electrical power, guidance, and propulsion. “And you may need to keep an eye on your hands on the trunk (front trunk) and doors; They don’t have industry-standard sensors that can prevent doors from cutting someone’s numbers. (The Cybertruck’s lead engineer said the metal doesn’t rust and the company is working on the problem. )
Tesla has delayed the launch of the Cybertruck several times to, the company said, correct design and production flaws, but Mr. Tesla’s main focus. Musk turns out to be the aesthetic of science fiction and the preference for being perceived as avant-garde (perhaps literally in the case of the Cybertruck, strangely devoid of curves for a device that claims to be aerodynamic). This is a guy who named his son X Æ A-12, renamed Twitter X, and is tirelessly involved in performative activities. subversion of posting antagonistic memes. Conventional automakers also produce ambitious concept cars, but they’re not designed for mass production, and unlike the retrofuturistic Cybertruck, they’re designed with in mind what transportation will look like in the long run, not what the long term will look like. it will look like in the past.
Elon Musk’s innovation strategy is largely in line with that of Silicon Valley. The tech industry attaches cultural importance to bringing products to market temporarily and worries about the consequences of any outstanding issues, destructive features, or defects after customers complain or the company is sued. “Moving fast and breaking things” is meant to be a rallying cry against sclerotic establishments and rules, but things that deserve to have been protected, such as customer privacy and security, are broken. Even democracy.
The effects might be negligible if the product were an entertainment app, but with cars and rockets, the stakes are high. Tesla gives the impression that he accepts certain risks such as the value of innovation.
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