Tesla Inc.
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Former Tesla worker LaBrot explains why he became critical of Elon Musk.
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He says Tesla sales plunged following Musk’s association with Trump.
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At one point, sales workers were under pressure to convert every potential customer.
Matthew LaBrot, a 35-year-old former Tesla employee, once spoke highly of Tesla and its mission, but that soon changed to disillusionment following Elon Musk’s decisions over the past two years, which contradicted LaBrot’s principles and ethics.
During his career at Tesla, LaBrot worked in sales training, owned Tesla vehicles, a Cybertruck and a Model Y, and powered his home with solar energy. “I had my dream job and never had any plans to leave it,” says LaBrot.
However, his career at the company was short-lived. He developed a sense of disenchantment from using Tesla’s products, became extremely critical of Musk, and even launched an anti-Elon Musk website in response to CEO Elon Musk’s political actions.
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His frustration began when Musk bought Twitter (now X) in 2022. It was only when Musk extended support for Donald Trump during the 2024 presidential campaign that it reached a point of extreme unease for him.
LaBrot, a Democrat himself, was shattered when his former boss did a Nazi-style salute at a Trump event, something that Musk denies. “These actions by the company’s CEO will only defame its public image and impair sales,” clarifies LaBrot.
On the heels of these unexpected turns of events, LaBrot claims, there was a sheer drop in Tesla car sales as well as mental pressure on employees. Foot traffic at Tesla stores plummeted, and sales workers strained to convert every potential buyer, he recalls. The company mulled over offering the usual incentives to grow sales, but even its new Model Y struggled and didn’t sell as expected.
He believes that a turnaround of this scale resulted solely from Musk’s political associations, which drove away customers.
Politics grew within the company, which forced LaBrot to speak out publicly—unlike others who did not utter a word, fearing job losses and layoffs. When his concerns were repeatedly sidelined or dismissed internally, LaBrot went ahead in April 2025 and launched a website calling for Musk’s resignation as Tesla’s CEO.
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He spray-painted his Cybertruck with messages displayed on it supporting sustainable energy and parked it outside a Tesla facility to raise awareness.
In a swift response, Tesla fired him the next day, saying that he used the company’s resources to build the website, which he denies.
“I do not regret speaking out. I continue to support Tesla’s clean energy goals, but I believe Elon Musk is not competent to continue as its CEO. It needs a new leader in the saddle to restore its lost image,” concludes LaBrot.
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Source: Business Insider
