News
Filmmaker offers influencers $100 to bash Tesla, Elon Musk.
In an emailed tip sent to Teslarati, a reader shared that a filmmaker is hiring 75-100 social media influencers to record themselves bashing Elon Musk and Tesla. According to the tip, which included the screenshot below, the casting call is asking for influencers to bash Tesla, Elon Musk, and autonomous driving.
The short film, titled Man Versus. Musk, is seeking “75-100 actors with a strong social media presence/following to read and self-record a new 10-15 minute monologue.” According to the casting call, which you can find here, the pay will be a flat rate of $100 for an estimated one hour of work.
Influencers will need to record themselves reading the script and upload the video to social media before receiving the $100 payment. At the time of this writing, there are only two influencers who have read and uploaded the script which starts out as
“Hey Everybody! How’s it going? Thanks for coming. I’m Jordan. Welcome to “Man Versus Musk” A show. A comedy. A call to action. A political movement that requires our attention and focus. More on the Musk matter later,”
The script that the influencers record themselves reading claims that Elon Musk has been intentionally tone-deaf to distracted driving.
“Fact, he has built his empire disempowering drivers from the ability to pay attention and keep their car on the road,” the script reads.
According to the script, Tesla’s Ludicrous Mode is the greatest champion of distracted driving the world has ever seen. It says that Elon Musk has no interest in stopping what it calls destructive driving which would require drivers not to play on their phones while driving and change their behavior while behind the wheel.
“He is the billionaire promoter of distracted driving. He’s built his wealth and reputation on the promise of the self-driving car. Over and over, Musk has declared that truly autonomous driving is nearly here! The day when a Tesla could drive itself — which it turns out is much further away than previous estimations. Extolling the virtues of auto-pilot, leading drivers to falsely believe that it is safe to keep their eyes off the road,” the script reads.
It should be noted that Tesla has always emphasized that drivers pay attention and be prepared to take over when Autopilot and FSD Beta are engaged.
My 2.5¢
As someone who has actually met Elon Musk, witnessed FSD Beta stop for cyclists and pedestrians, and has interviewed Tesla owners and read stories by owners whose lives have been saved by their cars, I find this film lacking in facts.
I think the filmmaker does want to do good and see themself as doing good, but their actions are based upon misinformation and quite frankly, Tesla FUD (fear, uncertainty, and doubt) that is often spread by the mainstream media.
I think the focus should be on distracted driving and include facts and statistics such as the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) recent estimates of the fatality rate per 100 million vehicle miles traveled (VMT) and compare those with Tesla’s own data.
According to the NHTSA, in 2021 there were a total of 38,824 fatalities per 100 million VMT. Tesla published its own vehicle safety report for 2021 for each quarter and includes data showing whether or not a vehicle had Autopilot engaged. According to Tesla per quarter:
Q1 2021
- 1 accident for every 4.19 million miles driven with Autopilot engaged.
- 1 accident for every 2.05 million miles driven without Autopilot engaged but with Tesla’s active safety features.
- 1 accident for every 978,000 miles driven without Autopilot and without Tesla’s active safety features.
Q2 2021
- 1 accident for every 4.41 million miles driven with Autopilot engaged and Tesla’s active safety features engaged.
- 1 accident for every 1.2 million miles driven without Autopilot and without Tesla’s active safety features.
Q3 2021
- 1 accident for every 4.97 million miles driven with Autopilot engaged and Tesla’s active safety features engaged.
- 1 accident for every 1.6 million miles driven without Autopilot and without Tesla’s active safety features.
Q4 2021
- 1 accident for every 4.31 million miles driven with Autopilot engaged and Tesla’s active safety features engaged.
- 1 accident for every 1.59 million miles driven without Autopilot and without Tesla’s active safety features.
For each quarter, Tesla said,
“By comparison, NHTSA’s most recent data shows that in the United States there is an automobile crash every 484,000 miles.”
Although Tesla documented accidents and the NHTSA documented fatalities, Tesla’s numbers show that with its Autopilot and active safety features engaged, there are fewer incidents than without.
Personally, I find it sad and disheartening that this filmmaker isn’t using facts or data and is manipulating young people into spreading misinformation about Tesla, Elon Musk, and autonomous driving for an easy $100.
Note: Johnna is a Tesla shareholder and supports its mission.
Your feedback is important. If you have any comments, or concerns, or see a typo, you can email me at johnna@teslarati.com. You can also reach me on Twitter at @JohnnaCrider1.
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Elon Musk
Delaware Supreme Court reinstates Elon Musk’s 2018 Tesla CEO pay package
The unanimous decision criticized the prior total rescission as “improper and inequitable,” arguing that it left Musk uncompensated for six years of transformative leadership at Tesla.
The Delaware Supreme Court has overturned a lower court ruling, reinstating Elon Musk’s 2018 compensation package originally valued at $56 billion but now worth approximately $139 billion due to Tesla’s soaring stock price.
The unanimous decision criticized the prior total rescission as “improper and inequitable,” arguing that it left Musk uncompensated for six years of transformative leadership at Tesla. Musk quickly celebrated the outcome on X, stating that he felt “vindicated.” He also shared his gratitude to TSLA shareholders.
Delaware Supreme Court makes a decision
In a 49-page ruling Friday, the Delaware Supreme Court reversed Chancellor Kathaleen McCormick’s 2024 decision that voided the 2018 package over alleged board conflicts and inadequate shareholder disclosures. The high court acknowledged varying views on liability but agreed rescission was excessive, stating it “leaves Musk uncompensated for his time and efforts over a period of six years.”
The 2018 plan granted Musk options on about 304 million shares upon hitting aggressive milestones, all of which were achieved ahead of time. Shareholders overwhelmingly approved it initially in 2018 and ratified it once again in 2024 after the Delaware lower court struck it down. The case against Musk’s 2018 pay package was filed by plaintiff Richard Tornetta, who held just nine shares when the compensation plan was approved.
A hard-fought victory
As noted in a Reuters report, Tesla’s win avoids a potential $26 billion earnings hit from replacing the award at current prices. Tesla, now Texas-incorporated, had hedged with interim plans, including a November 2025 shareholder-approved package potentially worth $878 billion tied to Robotaxi and Optimus goals and other extremely aggressive operational milestones.
The saga surrounding Elon Musk’s 2018 pay package ultimately damaged Delaware’s corporate appeal, prompting a number of high-profile firms, such as Dropbox, Roblox, Trade Desk, and Coinbase, to follow Tesla’s exodus out of the state. What added more fuel to the issue was the fact that Tornetta’s legal team, following the lower court’s 2024 decision, demanded a fee request of more than $5.1 billion worth of TSLA stock, which was equal to an hourly rate of over $200,000.
Delaware Supreme Court Elon Musk 2018 Pay Package by Simon Alvarez
News
Tesla Cybercab tests are going on overdrive with production-ready units
Tesla is ramping its real-world tests of the Cybercab, with multiple sightings of the vehicle being reported across social media this week.
Tesla is ramping its real-world tests of the Cybercab, with multiple sightings of the autonomous two-seater being reported across social media this week. Based on videos of the vehicle that have been shared online, it appears that Cybercab tests are underway across multiple states.
Recent Cybercab sightings
Reports of Cybercab tests have ramped this week, with a vehicle that looked like a production-ready prototype being spotted at Apple’s Visitor Center in California. The vehicle in this sighting was interesting as it was equipped with a steering wheel. The vehicle also featured some changes to the design of its brake lights.
The Cybercab was also filmed testing at the Fremont factory’s test track, which also seemed to involve a vehicle that looked production-ready. This also seemed to be the case for a Cybercab that was spotted in Austin, Texas, which happened to be undergoing real-world tests. Overall, these sightings suggest that Cybercab testing is fully underway, and the vehicle is really moving towards production.
Production design all but finalized?
Recently, a near-production-ready Cybercab was showcased at Tesla’s Santana Row showroom in San Jose. The vehicle was equipped with frameless windows, dual windshield wipers, powered butterfly door struts, an extended front splitter, an updated lightbar, new wheel covers, and a license plate bracket. Interior updates include redesigned dash/door panels, refined seats with center cupholders, updated carpet, and what appeared to be improved legroom.
There seems to be a pretty good chance that the Cybercab’s design has been all but finalized, at least considering Elon Musk’s comments at the 2025 Annual Shareholder Meeting. During the event, Musk confirmed that the vehicle will enter production around April 2026, and its production targets will be quite ambitious.
News
Tesla gets a win in Sweden as union withdraws potentially “illegal” blockade
As per recent reports, the Vision union’s planned anti-Tesla action might have been illegal.
Swedish union Vision has withdrawn its sympathy blockade against Tesla’s planned service center and showroom in Kalmar. As per recent reports, the Vision union’s planned anti-Tesla action might have been illegal.
Vision’s decision to pull the blockade
Vision announced the blockade in early December, stating that it was targeting the administrative handling of Tesla’s facility permits in Kalmar municipality. The sympathy measure was expected to start Monday, but was formally withdrawn via documents sent to the Mediation Institute and Kalmar Municipality last week.
As noted in a Daggers Arbete report, plans for the strike were ultimately pulled after employer group SKR highlighted potential illegality under the Public Employment Act. Vision stressed its continued backing for the Swedish labor model, though Deputy negotiation manager Oskar Pettersson explained that the Vision union and IF Metall made the decision to cancel the planned strike together.
“We will not continue to challenge the regulations,” Petterson said. “The objection was of a technical nature. We made the assessment together with IF Metall that we were not in a position to challenge the legal assessment of whether we could take this particular action against Tesla. Therefore, we chose to revoke the notice itself.”
The SKR’s warning
Petterson also stated that SKR’s technical objection to the Vision union’s planned anti-Tesla strike framed the protest as an unauthorized act. “It was a legal assessment of the situation. Both for us and for IF Metall, it is important to be clear that we stand for the Swedish model. But we should not continue to challenge the regulations and risk getting judgments that lead nowhere in the application of the regulations,” he said.
Vision ultimately canceled its planned blockade against Tesla on December 9. With Vision’s withdrawal, few obstacles remain for Tesla’s long-planned Kalmar site. A foreign electrical firm completed work this fall, and Tesla’s Careers page currently lists a full-time service manager position based there, signaling an imminent opening.
Delaware Supreme Court reinstates Elon Musk’s 2018 Tesla CEO pay package
Tesla Cybercab tests are going on overdrive with production-ready units
