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How Tesla and Elon Musk subtly roasted ‘short’ sellers after Q3 Earnings

Credit: Twitter Sofiaan Fraval

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Tesla’s Elon Musk has a way of cleverly roasting those who are not on board with his company’s mission. Whether car companies are refusing to adopt any sort of EV plans for future vehicles, or hedge fund managers pump massive amounts of money into shorting Tesla’s stock, Musk always seems to come out with a witty Tweet, or a bright pair of perfectly priced short shorts, just to rub salt in the wound for good measure.

A week after his company reported its biggest quarter yet, which came paired with extending Tesla’s profitable quarter streak to five, the magical short shorts appeared once again. Those who weren’t lucky enough to receive the hilariously “short” jab at Tesla’s non-believers with the first truckload of S3XY shorts received their fulfillment earlier this week.

Priced at $69.420, which relates to Musk’s life in several ways, the S3XY short shorts were first available just before Tesla reported its fourth consecutive profitable quarter in Q2 2020.

If you wondered how those two childishly-funny digits relate to the Tesla CEO, they’re his favorite numbers. And coincidentally, his birthday is 69 days after 4/20, a day notorious for cannabis culture.

Somehow, when all the chips were stacked against Tesla, the automaker was able to pull through. Despite plant closures during the first half of 2020 in the U.S. and China, Tesla still was profitable. The company beat Wall Street estimates handily, which was a perfect segway into Q3, which would ultimately be Tesla’s biggest quarter to date. However, while Q2 saw more adversity than Q3, the well-timed second appearance of the S3XY short shorts complements another quarter where people said Tesla can’t and won’t. It was the exclamation point on top of its biggest three-month span in company history.

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Bigger than a pair of shorts

Tesla has always been a little company with a big disadvantage. When the company decided to manufacture its first vehicle, the 2008 Roadster, it was entering a slumping automotive market that was being affected by the worst economic period since the Great Depression. Even still, the U.S. was recovering, and automotive jobs were attempting to regain some momentum as some of the car business’s biggest names were receiving government help to keep their doors open.

In arguably the worst time to start a company, Tesla was just putting its plan into place. It was battling in the worst economic time in the 21st century and attempting to completely change the tide of what was the “norm” for a car. Everyone knew that previous attempts at EVs went unsuccessful. So what was going to be different here?

Fast forward 12 years. Tesla is the big man on campus, even though it’s the youngest company in terms of “large-scale production” carmakers. Petrol-powered car companies are following Tesla’s lead in a desperate attempt to appear relevant. In a span of eight years, from the introduction of the Tesla Model S, legacy automakers have gone from “we’re not worried” to “full-blown panic mode,” all because people realized its better to pay for a charge than it is to pay for a tank of gas. Not only is it better for the environment, but it’s better for the wallet, too.

Tesla is proving that it is the most dominant company in the world that makes a car, and if you doubt the potential of its products, you’ll become apart of the inspiration for those short, red satin, gold-trimmed shorts.

Investors and analysts who have doubted Tesla since Day 1 are being proven wrong on what seems to be a daily basis. U.S. demand crumbling? No. European companies dominating Tesla in their own backyard? Not quite. No demand in China? Guess again.

Whether those short-shorts just so happened to become available after the company had its biggest earnings call will forever be a mystery, but the timing seems too good to be true. Whatever the case may be, people are getting their S3XY short shorts, and investors and analysts who have doubted Tesla are once again being taken for a whirl by automotive’s funniest man: Elon Reeve Musk.

Joey has been a journalist covering electric mobility at TESLARATI since August 2019. In his spare time, Joey is playing golf, watching MMA, or cheering on any of his favorite sports teams, including the Baltimore Ravens and Orioles, Miami Heat, Washington Capitals, and Penn State Nittany Lions. You can get in touch with joey at joey@teslarati.com. He is also on X @KlenderJoey. If you're looking for great Tesla accessories, check out shop.teslarati.com

Lifestyle

EV fans urge Tesla to acquire Unplugged Performance for edge in fleet and security industry

Unplugged Performance has built a name for itself by producing performance upgrades for Tesla vehicles.

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Credit: Unplugged Performance

A growing number of Tesla enthusiasts and longtime community voices are calling on the electric vehicle maker to acquire Unplugged Performance, a California-based aftermarket company best known for tuning Tesla vehicles and developing specialized government fleet solutions under its UP.FIT division.

The idea was once considered a niche proposal among EV fans, but it is now gaining serious attention not just as a performance play but as a strategic move to deepen Tesla’s roots in the fleet and security industry. 

A strategic fit

Unplugged Performance has built a name for itself by producing performance upgrades for Tesla vehicles, from track-optimized components to visual and aerodynamic upgrades. But in recent years, its UP.FIT division has pivoted toward a more functional future by outfitting Tesla vehicles like Model Ys for police, military, and government use.

That work has sparked growing calls for closer collaboration with Tesla, especially as the EV maker increasingly leans into autonomy, AI, and fleet services as core components of its next chapter.

“I posted this four years ago, but I think it’s more true now than ever,” wrote Whole Mars Catalog, a well-known Tesla investor and FSD Beta tester, on X. “Tesla should buy Unplugged. But not just as a Performance division. What they are doing with UP.FIT unlocks large government and commercial fleet purchases that can improve utilization.”

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Tesla fans such as shareholder Sawyer Merritt echoed the sentiment, calling Unplugged a “great fit within Tesla.” adding, “They are literally located directly next to Tesla’s design studio in Hawthorne.”

Enabling the next wave

Supporters of the idea noted that integrating Unplugged into Tesla’s corporate structure could help accelerate the adoption of autonomous technologies in government sectors. With UP.FIT patrol cars already in use across some U.S. police departments, Tesla fans envisioned a future where self-driving Teslas could potentially revolutionize law enforcement, search-and-rescue, and public service logistics.

“Just imagine how autonomous patrol cars could transform policing and bring us into a safer future,” the veteran FSD tester wrote.

The benefits could also extend to Tesla’s existing consumer base. “They also have some incredible products in the works that I think will appeal to many ordinary Tesla drivers — not just those looking for performance or mods. Stuff that’s so good it should have come straight from the design studio next door,” Whole Mars Catalog noted.

Unplugged Performance, founded in 2013, shares not just a product vision with Tesla, but also geography. Its Hawthorne headquarters sits directly adjacent to Tesla’s design studio, and the two companies have maintained a close working relationship over the years. The aftermarket firm has long positioned itself as a “mission-aligned” partner to Tesla.

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In response to the recent calls for acquisition, Unplugged Performance acknowledged the support from the community. “Our very existence is to support the Tesla mission with @UpfitTesla and @UnpluggedTesla,” Unplugged CEO Ben Schaffer posted on X. “We love working with Tesla and are grateful for the community’s support since 2013!”

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Elon Musk

X account with 184 followers inadvertently saves US space program amid Musk-Trump row

Needless to say, the X user has far more than 184 followers today after his level-headed feat.

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Joel Kowsky, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

An X user with 184 followers has become the unlikely hero of the United States’ space program by effectively de-escalating a row between SpaceX CEO Elon Musk and President Donald Trump on social media.

Needless to say, the X user has far more than 184 followers today after his level-headed feat.

A Near Fall

During Elon Musk and Donald Trump’s fallout last week, the U.S. President stated in a post on Truth Social that a good way for the United States government to save money would be to terminate subsidies and contracts from the CEO’s companies. Musk responded to Trump’s post by stating that SpaceX will start decommissioning its Dragon spacecraft immediately. 

Musk’s comment was received with shock among the space community, partly because the U.S. space program is currently reliant on SpaceX to send supplies and astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS). Without Dragon, the United States will likely have to utilize Russia’s Soyuz for the same services—at a significantly higher price.

X User to the Rescue

It was evident among X users that Musk’s comments about Dragon being decommissioned were posted while emotions were high. It was then no surprise that an X account with 184 followers, @Fab25june, commented on Musk’s post, urging the CEO to rethink his decision. “This is a shame this back and forth. You are both better than this. Cool off and take a step back for a couple days,” the X user wrote in a reply.

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Much to the social media platform’s surprise, Musk responded to the user. Even more surprising, the CEO stated that SpaceX would not be decommissioning Dragon after all. “Good advice. Ok, we won’t decommission Dragon,” Musk wrote in a post on X.

Not Planned, But Welcomed

The X user’s comment and Musk’s response were received extremely well by social media users, many of whom noted that @Fab25june’s X comment effectively saved the U.S. space program. In a follow-up comment, the X user, who has over 9,100 followers as of writing, stated that he did not really plan on being a mediator between Musk and Trump. 

“Elon Musk replied to me. Somehow, I became the accidental peace broker between two billionaires. I didn’t plan this. I was just being me. Two great minds can do wonders. Sometimes, all it takes is a breather. Grateful for every like, DM, and new follow. Life’s weird. The internet’s weirder. Let’s ride. (Manifesting peace… and maybe a Model Y.)” the X user wrote.

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Lifestyle

Tesla Cybertruck takes a bump from epic failing Dodge Charger

The Cybertruck seemed unharmed by the charging Charger.

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Credit: Hammer_of_something/Reddit

There comes a time in a driver’s life when one is faced with one’s limitations. For the driver of a Dodge Charger, this time came when he lost control and crashed into a Tesla Cybertruck–an absolute epic fail. 

A video of the rather unfortunate incident was shared on the r/TeslaLounge subreddit.

Charging Charger Fails

As could be seen in the video, which was posted on the subreddit by Model Y owner u/Hammer_of_something, a group of teens in a Dodge Charger decided to do some burnouts at a Tesla Supercharger. Unfortunately, the driver of the Charger failed in his burnout or donut attempt, resulting in the mopar sedan going over a curb and bumping a charging Cybertruck.

Ironically, the Dodge Charger seemed to have been parked at a Supercharger stall before its driver decided to perform the failed stunt. This suggests that the vehicle was likely ICE-ing a charging stall before it had its epic fail moment. Amusingly enough, the subreddit member noted that the Cybertruck did not seem like it took any damage at all despite its bump. The Charger, however, seemed like it ran into some trouble after crashing into the truck.

Alleged Aftermath

As per the the r/TeslaLounge subreddit member, the Cybertruck owner came rushing out to his vehicle after the Dodge Charger crashed into it. The Model Y owner then sent over the full video of the incident, which clearly showed the Charger attempting a burnout, failing, and bumping into the Cybertruck. The Cybertruck owner likely appreciated the video, in part because it showed the driver of the Dodge Charger absolutely freaking out after the incident.

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The Cybertruck is not an impregnable vehicle, but it can take bumps pretty well thanks to its thick stainless steel body. Based on this video, it appears that the Cybertruck can even take bumps from a charging Charger, all while chilling and charging at a Supercharger. As for the teens in the Dodge, they likely had to provide a long explanation to authorities after the incident, since the cops were called to the location.

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