How the protests against Elon Musk garnered this weekend’s “Tesla Takeover”

As Elon Musk and his Acolite are slicing the federal government and looking for an agency to throw “Wood Chipper” A grassroots effort to attack the world’s wealthiest man in a place that hurts is to pick up steam.

The courts are busy fighting the effectiveness of the government in masks, but the judicial system is slow – citizens are uneasy.

Some of the US, who are ghh with blood of the government of masks, sold their Tesla or went straight to vandalism.

However, hundreds of people are currently scheduled to protest at Tesla dealers across the country on February 15th. This was quickly spun by disformation researcher Joand Novan over the past week and accelerated by Blueski’s Bill & Ted franchise star Alex Winter.

“As a citizen, there are many different points of leverage,” Donovan said in an interview with TechCrunch. “One is talking to our representatives, while another is bringing attention to the plundering of federal government data, particularly the way musk works without transparency.

What began with Bluesky has spread to planned protests outside Tesla showrooms around the country, including Austin, Seattle, Kansas City, and Mesa, Arizona.

Tesla and Musk did not respond to requests for comment. TechCrunch will be updated if Musk or the automaker responds.

Donovan’s motivation for her, who is also an assistant professor of journalism at Boston University, said she acts in her own capabilities as a US citizen, came last week when she saw the first few small protests outside the Tesla store. Ta.

“I was inspired by a bit of protest in Maine, where people brought some signs to Tesla’s charging stations, how it brings conversations, people meet each other, what? It allowed us to discuss what was happening,” Donovan said.

So, earlier this week, Donovan began posting.

“If you think masks can speed up DC downloads, you can pound some pots or pots on the sidewalk (SIC) in front of Tesla dealerships,” she said. I wrote it On February 8th, she added the hashtag “#TeslatakeOver” while linking to a list of Tesla’s own stores in the US.

In the winter, we collaborated with Donovan to hold the 2022 show. documentary YouTube Effects in College told TechCrunch that he saw the post and reached out to her to organize the effort.

“Sell Teslas, throw away stock and join the Picket Line” Winter Posted I went to blue skiing on February 10th.

After that post, Winter and Donovan encouraged people to set up their own local Tesla acquisition event. As of Friday afternoon, people had established 42 protest events across the United States, including California, Florida, Texas and New York.

Winter said he had partnered with TechCrunch in an interview Confusing Projecta group that provides training to people interested in popular activities. He said hundreds of people have been RSVPs at various events so far, and more people are showing up every day. Winter also said he even heard from people he plans internationally.

The protest is more than building optics and community, Winter said. Musk’s vast wealth is largely linked to his ownership of around 20% of Tesla’s stake. That makes him somewhat vulnerable to a massive swing in the company’s stock price.

At the time of regulatory filing in April 2024, the exact amount is unknown, but the mask used nearly 60% of all Tesla stocks it owned at the time. As collateral for the loan. In theory, if Tesla’s stock price sinks low enough, the mask lender could ask him to pay back what he still owes, or at least have him renegotiate his term. Masu.

“The long goal is to create a vote that is underestimated and unsure about the company’s future, and encourage broad sales of stocks. “But I also want to see the public activists’ education and literacy aspects of this. I see great value just from it.”

The winter background makes him well prepared for his educational efforts. He has written a documentary on the Panama paper (a project that exposed financial crime and corruption around the world) and the potential harms of YouTube’s algorithmic feed. He also said, “Free the feed” Initiative. This is an effort to build an open social media system regarding Bluesky’s protocols.

With that in mind, it’s not surprising he said he’s been worried about the impact on mask technology over the years.

While spreading this misinformation, Donovan said he believes Musk “is really taking advantage of the fact that many Americans are ignorant of how the government actually works.” She worries that it will lead to violence – especially as Musk and his supporters elect government workers, judges and their families.

That’s another reason why Donovan wanted people to come out and protest.

“My hope is for people to come together and act locally, but find other local ways to think and resist globally in these protests,” Donovan said. “One thing Musk overlooked is that power doesn’t derive from the federal government, and power doesn’t derive from the states, and there’s a lot that state agencies can do to curb federal government power. I think so. I will enforce responsibility.”