Tesla Manager Was Fired After Speaking Out Against Musk's Nazi Salute

"Free speech absolutist"
- It’s pretty safe to assume the exact opposite of anything Elmo says. Think of it like the inverse Cramer.

I am ashamed that I used to be a somewhat vocal advocate of Musk and Tesla.
I remember saying how great it was that Tesla released a bunch of patents to further humanity. I remember telling people I thought his nervous rambling presentation style showed he was a down to earth guy forced into the limelight who just wanted to bring his progressive vision to the world. I remember praising the aesthetics of the model s and really wanting one. I remember cheering on Tesla as the underdog taking on the established automotive giants through direct sales and installing their own charging networks etc. I remember retelling the story of a model-s breaking the safety test equipment with glee and wanting what I thought was the safest car on the road which just happened to be the cheapest to run, the most environmentally friendly and with "ludicrous" performance. I remember reading about full self driving and the car parking itself so you can drive to the door of whatever shop or restaurant you were going to and leave the car to figure out the rest.
Then the paedo guy thing happened. This is the moment I can point back to where I first reminded myself to think critically about something I was a fan of. I still excused it, "ok maybe Musk might be a bit of a dick, but at least he has a noble mission at heart " Then the floods gates opened. Autopilot deaths. Union busting. Full self driving that is perpetually less than a year away. The cyber truck that reminds me of that Simpsons episode when Homer designs a "car". Nazi salutes....
How could I get it so wrong?
I am thankful that Elon Musk has reminded me that I like anyone else believe what I want to believe and fall for marketing more easily than I thought I would.
BUT I am ashamed that I am so stupid. Even more I'm ashamed that through my falling for it, I may have helped others fall for it.
We all live in our own little comfort zone. It takes effort to challenge your opinions. Truly challenge them. I fail at it more than I succeed apparently, but at least knowing that might help me be a little less gullible next time.
TL;DR Musk is a wanker.
Edit: some typos
- Your critical self-reflection is the rarest characteristic of wisdom in these dark times. You actually care about the truth.
- I am ashamed that I used to be a somewhat vocal advocate of Musk and Tesla.
  Don't be ashamed that you got scammed; continue channeling that energy into being as vocal about how these people are giant frauds.
  I was never an advocate for the guy at all, but for that reason I expect that anything I have to say about the subject will likely resonate less and be less effective with people who were pulled in by the guy. You are probably correct that you have persuaded others to like him and a good atonement for that is to be as active and vocal now in opposition. I also think it's important to include "I was once fooled by this moron" as well because it gives others the permission to be vulnerable alongside you.
  EDIT: PS: For future reference, a heuristic for avoiding getting duped into cults of personality is to watch for when something that should be larger than a single person (e.g. an eco-friendly car company, a political movement, a religious movement, a "wellness" movement, a philosophy) becomes all about worshiping some guy or gal. At that point it's probably a cult, a scam, or a combination of both.
  I don't know why, but it seems like many are primed to believe that some magical guy or gal is capable of solving complex problems single-handedly.
- There’s no shame in making the best decision with all the information you could reasonably be expected to have at the time. That’s not ignorance, that’s paying attention.
  There’s a legitimately sad and disappointing trajectory to Tesla. It wasn’t just a story. That place had a lot of good engineers that did great work. And I’m sure the company still has some, especially the indentured H1B types who don’t have the same options as others.
- I was the same way. I really wasn't exposed to Musk. Didn't follow him on Twitter. Then he got active with the DOGE coin community, which was kind is embarrassing. Then he has the whole kids trapped in the cave/Pedo guy thing, but the part that really started to sour him for me was the Tesla factory shutdown push back during the pandemic. I started paying more attention to him and really began to dislike him. He's been shitty for a while but I just didn't pay attention.
  
  Pretty much the same with me. I used to think he was a visionary who would seriously help to make the world a better place. That was back in 2017 and I was much younger back then. Like you, the whole "pedo guy"/cave thing was what made me start to think that maybe he's not a good person, and things sort of spiralled from there. Did you see that deleted Tweet of his where he said Canada isn't a real country?
- Holy based, my thoughts and experience to a T

Sounds like a good time to go to the DoL about a wrongful terminatio- OH WAIT.
- Right? It'd be an interesting case no matter how it turned out, I bet.
  
  No department of labor ( or no employers to run it) means no lawsuit.

Always speak out against Nazis.
Why?
Because fascists are stupid and if you don't your society will end up collapsing and people you know will probably end up dying.
Fuck a job. Speak out against Nazis.

I am speaking out about you hideous NAZI Elon.

They're showing us, example by example, that things have changed and that any resistance will be punished harshly.
- Nevertheless, don't comply. Nazis must be fought.

I'll happily risk losing my job if it means I can speak out against a Nazi and call a spade a spade. Fascists deserve no sympathies.
- Yup. Fascism succeeds when people fear too much for their jobs to call it out.

Musk is essentially the government at this point, how is this not a free speech issue for a government official to fire you for your speech?
- Because legally he’s not the government, just an advisor. Please speak to the fall lady instead. I’m sure she’ll happily hear your complaints.

Elon doesn’t care, as he assumes there are 10 visa workers waiting to take Tesla job with half of salary, which is true as of today, but will soon change.
I recently had trips to a few cities in Europe and Africa, hearing random people talking about how they like Chinese cars and even AI apps, not to mention TikTok. If China refrain from wars which they have been, the next decade is theirs.
- Tesla pay is abysmal.
- Very good, expect your 50 cent deposit soon.
  
  Do you actually have any notes regarding their comment or just poorly thought out snark?

His resume's looking pretty great right now. Pick this guy up.

Show him your support: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/jared-ottmann-3531676b_bet-you-did-nazi-that-coming-crying-from-activity-7290045540224970753-84G1

... are they looking for a job?

Punch a nazi in the face!

Ottmann’s courage exposes Tesla’s moral vacuum; the silence from leadership is deafening.
😾😾😾😾

He said he didn't mean it as a Nazi salute, is that not enough?
There is so much else to criticize, I don't know why we continue beating this dead horse, I'm not even sure it's in good faith at this point.
I mean unless there is something else he's done to point to being a Nazi that I just haven't seen, barring hyperbole like "he's a trump supporter".
- is that not enough?
  No. It isn’t. Because not only is it a tremendous lie, it’s also not the only thing he’s done to implicate himself as a Nazi. And the last thing we need right now are apologists downplaying his behavior.
  
  Got an example?
- If I punch you in the face, say you're a stupid bitch, then tell you I didn't mean it, wouldn't that be enough?
  A Nazi salute is a Nazi salute. It isn't something you can accidentally do.
- Does a nazi salute twice. Says that the two nazi salutes we all saw him make on video were not nazi salutes. That's called gaslighting.
  And as far as evidence he's a fascist, it's on display every day. Like when he gave his full support to Germany's AfD party. https://www.npr.org/2025/01/10/nx-s1-5252473/elon-musk-germany-election-afd-candidate-alice-weidel
- You're an idiot who should suck on a lead pipe and encase your mouth and hands in epoxy resin so nobody is ever subject to hearing your thoughts again
  But i don't mean that as an insult, so don't you dare be offended by it
- Did I miss Elmo claiming it wasn't a Nazi salute? I have seen lots of articles of other people claiming it wasn't, but nothing from him.
  
  https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elon_Musk_salute_controversy
  Elon Musk responded to criticism of his alleged salute on January 21 on his X account, including calling all news outlets criticizing him biased. He wrote that "The legacy media is pure propaganda", that "they need better dirty tricks", and that "the 'everyone is Hitler' attack is sooo tired"