"Politics of the CEO" is both an understatement and a little bit of missing the point.
If we put the Musk Twitter/Trump/right wing stuff aside, there's still a big problem with Tesla and Musk in general: poor build quality especially on new product launches, exaggerations and lies about product capability, pricing, and the upcoming product roadmap, and the cult-like following that places Tesla's somewhat mundane product achievements on a pedastel.
For example, the idea that only Tesla is doing things out of the box, that they're the only ones who aren't stagnant...well, that's only true if you're in the cult and you ignore all the other carmakers. I don't think Kia/Hyundai's design is stagnant. I don't think the Chinese car industry is stagnant. I don't think the host of other EV startups like Rivian or Lucid are stagnant.
The Cybertruck doesn't have any unique features that other carmakers aren't doing besides having stainless steel panels that are literally glued on to the unibody frame and can't be painted. Toyota, the most boring car company, has steer by wire (Lexus RZ). If you buy a Rivian you get better range and capability. The Cybertruck isn't even the best EV truck, never mind the best truck of any powertrain.
And the final part of the Tesla hate is all the ways in which their "innovation" has been basically dangerous bullshit. Putting beta versions of self-driving code on the road, making a car with stainless steel panels that are not pedestrian safe, all their documented issues with plant safety and labor issues, removing physical controls for critical car functionality like gear shifting and turn signal stalks to generally deliver a car UI that encourages distracted driving more than perhaps any other brand. These types of things are the place where the "hate" becomes "justified outrage over corporate neglegence."
If we put the Musk Twitter/Trump/right wing stuff aside, there's still a big problem with Tesla and Musk in general: poor build quality especially on new product launches, exaggerations and lies about product capability, pricing, and the upcoming product roadmap, and the cult-like following that places Tesla's somewhat mundane product achievements on a pedastel.
For example, the idea that only Tesla is doing things out of the box, that they're the only ones who aren't stagnant...well, that's only true if you're in the cult and you ignore all the other carmakers. I don't think Kia/Hyundai's design is stagnant. I don't think the Chinese car industry is stagnant. I don't think the host of other EV startups like Rivian or Lucid are stagnant.
The Cybertruck doesn't have any unique features that other carmakers aren't doing besides having stainless steel panels that are literally glued on to the unibody frame and can't be painted. Toyota, the most boring car company, has steer by wire (Lexus RZ). If you buy a Rivian you get better range and capability. The Cybertruck isn't even the best EV truck, never mind the best truck of any powertrain.
And the final part of the Tesla hate is all the ways in which their "innovation" has been basically dangerous bullshit. Putting beta versions of self-driving code on the road, making a car with stainless steel panels that are not pedestrian safe, all their documented issues with plant safety and labor issues, removing physical controls for critical car functionality like gear shifting and turn signal stalks to generally deliver a car UI that encourages distracted driving more than perhaps any other brand. These types of things are the place where the "hate" becomes "justified outrage over corporate neglegence."