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Elon Musk explains why he continues to help despite being hated
To state that Elon Musk is not particularly liked in several corners of the internet and the globe would be an understatement.
Despite his polarizing persona, the Tesla and SpaceX CEO has spent the weekend utilizing several of his resources to help out recovery efforts in areas affected by the LA wildfires.
Musk’s reaction to the LA wildfires:
- Mobile Tesla Powerwall Units and Starlink satellite internet systems have been deployed to help power non-profits operating in areas affected by the wildfires, as per Tesla’s official X account.
- A fleet of Tesla Cybertrucks with Starlink satellites installed have also been deployed to provide internet connectivity to affected areas.
- Two Megapack Chargers have been deployed to help relieve congestion in areas that have lost power due to Public Safety Power Shutoffs (PSPS).
- Another Megapack Charger was deployed in Altadena at the Sheriff’s Station to help provide support for first responders.
We are going to position Cybertrucks with Starlinks and free WiFi in a grid pattern in the areas that most need it in the greater LA/Malibu area https://t.co/oWilgDyVh5— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 12, 2025
Musk’s comments:
- Amidst Tesla’s efforts, some users on X pointed out that Musk is doing all these efforts to help despite California generally not liking him or the U.S. president-elect.
- In a response, Musk noted that while this is true for some people in California, and while media coverage of his actions would most certainly be negative, it is still worth helping.
- “That is true of some people in California, and the press will of course accuse me of grandstanding, but, if this helps save even one house or maybe even someone’s life, we should still do it,” Musk wrote in a post on X.
That is true of some people in California, and the press will of course accuse me of grandstanding, but, if this helps save even one house or maybe even someone’s life, we should still do it.— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 12, 2025
A Musk-shaped target:
- Musk has always been polarizing, but his controversial nature has become even more prominent in the past year.
- This became especially notable when Musk publicly backed U.S. president-elect Donald Trump during his campaign period.
- In October 2024, Musk noted that he was upgrading his security after a German publication labeled him “Public Enemy No. 2,” just behind Trump.
- Considering Tesla’s polarizing nature, as well as Musk’s billionaire status and his close relationship with the U.S. president-elect, Musk is constantly bashed today.
- This is quite prominent in online platforms such as Reddit, where Musk is typically mocked for his appearance, alleged lack of intelligence, and the alleged failures of his companies and products–and where some users celebrate the idea of Musk being assassinated just like the late UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, who was gunned down in early December.


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Elon Musk
NYC Comptroller moves to sue Tesla for securities violations

New York City Comptroller Brad Lander is urging the NYC Law Department to sue Tesla for securities violations related to CEO Elon Musk’s involvement in the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
Lander said the basis for the potential litigation lies on “material misstatements from Tesla claiming that CEO Elon Musk spends significant time on the company and is highly active in its management, despite his helming the Trump Administration’s DOGE initiative.”
🚨 NEWS: New York City Comptroller Brad Lander wants to sue Tesla by claiming CEO Elon Musk’s role as the head of DOGE is hurting the stock.
Lander said that Musk was “effectively quitting his job at Tesla” by assuming the role with DOGE. pic.twitter.com/p9eMq9mMbr
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) April 1, 2025
It is a common complaint amongst some Tesla shareholders who are less than enthusiastic about Musk’s involvement in DOGE. Some feel as if Musk is not concerned about Tesla, especially as the stock has dropped over 28 percent this year. However, Musk has continued to double down on his position within the U.S. government.
Nevertheless, Musk’s position in Tesla is still very apparent. He headed an All-Hands meeting just two weeks ago that showed his commitment to the company as he outlined future plans and even joked to employees that they should hold onto their stock.
However, Lander believes Musk’s involvement has hurt New York City pension systems, which have lost over $300 million so far this year. He said:
“In less than three months, Tesla stock has lost nearly 40% of its value, with losses over $300 million for the New York City pension systems. We have long expressed concerns that the Tesla board has failed to provide independent oversight, or to require that Musk – or someone else – serve as a full-time CEO.”
Lander went on to say that “material misstatements from Tesla misled investors about his role at the company,” stating this was his reasoning for calling on the Law Department to file securities litigation against the company.
He believes taking it to court will force changes and will return Tesla shares back to a level that will benefit pension systems in New York City:
“Shareholder litigation could force the changes in governance and leadership that Tesla needs, and help recover some of our pension systems’ losses. Otherwise, we may need to consider divestment.”
The pension systems would be able to pursue financial damages to cover losses and seek governance changes, it says.
Elon Musk
Tesla is testing a Model 3 with some mysterious cameras in the U.S.

Tesla is testing a Model 3 with some mysterious cameras, potentially hinting toward the imminent release of the Cybercab and robotaxi platform in the United States.
After Tesla unveiled the Cybercab in Los Angeles in early October, the company suggested that it would be on its way to launching driverless rides in the U.S. in the near future.
Now, Tesla is inching toward a driverless ride-hailing service in Austin, Texas, among some other potential locations, but it is still working toward a platform that is robust enough to handle it.
Although the company’s Full Self-Driving suite is one of the more advanced on the market, Tesla is still working to accomplish what it feels is a mode of transportation that is safer than a human driver. The robotaxi and Cybercab rollouts will likely accomplish that, but there is still work to be done beforehand.
Now, Tesla is testing a Model 3 in the U.S. that was spotted in several different locations in the Northeastern part of the country, as cameras are seen on this vehicle in locations that are not necessarily typical for what it offers currently:
🚨 A user on r/TeslaMotors spotted this Model 3 with some interesting and never-before-seen camera locations.
Possible Cybercab or Next-Gen testing? pic.twitter.com/J6W6cKCiL9
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) March 31, 2025
Another one is seen here:
@teslascope Tesla spotted collecting Cybercab data WITH front bumper cam in Boston, MA. (Potentially different front cameras too.) Is Tesla currently including bumper cam video in training data? Will this be required for Unsupervised? pic.twitter.com/5rHPOp2tBe
— Dylan (@Dylan02939106) March 31, 2025
Interestingly, we saw similar camera locations on the Cybercab at the event in October. Tesla is not testing the Cybercab but instead implementing these cameras on a comparable position on its other vehicles.
These are the cameras we spotted on the Cybercab at the event in October:
In the past, Tesla has used a variety of strategies to measure self-driving accuracy, including LiDAR, which has been seen on some testing mules that we have spotted out in public.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk has said that the company does not need LiDAR on testing mules for ground truth, but we still spot them from time to time on public roads.
It’s an appropriate way just to cross Ts and dot Is:
Tesla Model X testing mule spotted with LiDAR rig ahead of Robotaxi event
The company is still moving toward that initial rollout of driverless ride-hailing in Austin in June, and some company executives have stated that the Cybercab will be the vehicle it uses for these initial rides.
Elon Musk
Tesla adds security feature to Android with latest software update

Tesla is bolstering its release of features to Android users as it is rolling out some new things with its latest software update.
Update v4.43.5 will see Tesla add a Dashcam Viewer for Android phones, a new feature that will make it simpler to access and manage both Dashcam and Sentry Mode videos. This has been available to iPhone users for some time, but Android owners have not had access to this quite yet.
Tesla describes the release of the feature in release notes (via Not a Tesla App):
“The Dashcam Viewer is now available in the Tesla app for Android users.
The Dashcam Viewer makes it easy to access and manage your car’s Dashcam and Sentry Mode videos. Accessing videos on your phone is faster and more convenient, but it does come with a few requirements.
The Dashcam Viewer in the Tesla app allows you to view, delete, or save video clips right from your device. This should result in higher quality content being shared online and fewer videos of owners recording their Tesla’s screens with their phones.”
The feature creates a more convenient option to view things that your Tesla has captured on its dashcam or on its external cameras through Sentry Mode, its security camera system that records things that happen around the vehicle.
Sentry Mode has been a great addition for Tesla owners lately, as more and more instances of vandalism have been occurring in the past few months.
It seems Tesla might have made it a point to roll this feature out, especially as it would allow those who are getting Sentry Mode alerts to capture footage of keying or tire slashing, two common techniques used by those who dislike Tesla and/or Elon Musk.
Tesla quietly added this extra Sentry Mode feature to deter vandals
The last time Tesla rolled out some features to Android owners was in January when it beefed up offerings for those who do not use iOS. The January update saw Phone Key Improvements and Hands-Free Trunk Opening make their way to Android users.
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