PivotHow Elon Backlash is Creating Problems for Tesla | Pivot
At a glance
WHAT IT’S REALLY ABOUT
Elon’s Doge Gambit Backfires, Tesla Brand And DC Politics Collide
- Kara Swisher and Scott Galloway dissect the emerging backlash against Elon Musk’s role in the Trump administration’s Doge efficiency initiative and how it’s damaging both public trust and Tesla’s brand. They argue Doge is less about patriotism and more about clearing regulatory hurdles for Musk’s businesses, while simultaneously gutting essential government services and protections. The hosts also examine Jeff Bezos’s controversial ideological reset of the Washington Post opinion section, Tesla’s sales slump amid growing consumer disgust with Musk, and NVIDIA’s outsized role in propping up markets during the AI boom. They close by debating golden visas for the ultra-wealthy and predicting that the Doge experiment will quietly fade once it starts costing Musk real money, especially via Starlink contracts.
IDEAS WORTH REMEMBERING
5 ideasMusk’s Doge project is viewed as a profit-driven regulatory smash-and-grab, not patriotic reform.
Swisher and Galloway argue Musk’s real goal is to clear away regulators who threaten his ambitions in autonomous vehicles, space launches, and telecom, while dressing the effort up as government efficiency and innovation.
Public sentiment sharply distinguishes between liking “efficiency” and liking Elon Musk.
Focus groups in key swing states show voters generally like the idea of cutting waste, but describe Musk as “weird,” “selfish,” “radical,” and “scary,” suggesting his personal brand is a liability even among some Trump voters.
Tesla’s brand is now materially suffering from Musk’s politics and behavior.
Tesla sales are down significantly in Europe and in parts of the U.S., and the hosts describe real-world backlash—people keying cars, insulting Cybertruck drivers, and simply avoiding the brand—showing personal conduct can infect even strong products.
Bezos’s Washington Post shift turns an ailing paper into an explicit billionaire propaganda asset.
By mandating opinion coverage be bounded by “personal liberties and free markets” and excluding opposing views, Bezos is seen as copying the Wall Street Journal poorly and alienating the Post’s core talent and readership, accelerating a talent exodus to rival outlets.
The tech/billionaire elite increasingly treat law as a one-way shield, not a shared constraint.
Quoting Cory Doctorow’s framing, Galloway and Swisher argue the in‑crowd (billionaires, tech founders) see themselves as protected by the law but not bound by it, while everyone else is bound by law but not protected by it—visible in subsidies, tax policy, and regulatory capture.
WORDS WORTH SAVING
5 quotesThey believe there’s an in and an out crowd… The in crowd are protected by the law but not bound by it. The out crowd are bound by it but not protected by it.
— Scott Galloway (citing Cory Doctorow’s framing)
He wants a billionaire propaganda arm. If Musk can use X as a cudgel, Bezos can use the Washington Post as a cudgel.
— Kara Swisher
You should stay out of politics as a general rule for brands. I think we’re just getting started on how much this is going to hurt Tesla.
— Scott Galloway
Swing voters like the idea of efficiency. They hate Elon Musk.
— Kara Swisher
I think Doge is going to be over and done by the end of the year… Once he sees he’s actually losing money doing this, he’ll fade away.
— Scott Galloway
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