Tesla CEO Elon Musk's political hard right turn hasn't been great for a car brand historically coveted by climate-conscious coastal liberals. Tons of people simply won't buy from the electric automaker right now—or maybe ever—because of its close association with Donald Trump's newest megadonor and the bombastic incoming head of the crypto-inspired Department of Government Efficiency.
Meanwhile, plenty of current Tesla owners are feeling increasingly guilty or embarrassed by their cars. Or, at the very least, they want the world to know that they see their Model 3 or Model Y as just a nice way to get around—and not a MAGA hat on wheels. As a result, sales of anti-Musk bumper stickers for disaffected Tesla owners are booming.
So report our friends over at Heatmap News, who caught up with Matthew Hiller, the guy behind the viral "I Bought This Before We Knew Elon Was Crazy" sticker. He first launched the Tesla stickers in January 2023. "And now, at this point, it's gone insane," he told Heatmap.
Sales hit record highs several times this year, he said, including after Musk's appearance at a Trump rally. They skyrocketed the day after the election—with 250-300 orders that day—and have remained healthy ever since. "I can barely keep up," Hiller said.
The original "I Bought This Before We Knew Elon Was Crazy" remains the best seller on Hiller's online store. But he has created a bunch of other Tesla stickers too, bearing pithy phrases like "Anti Elon Tesla Club and the simple yet effective "Shut Up Elon."
It's no wonder Hiller is crushing it right now. There was a simpler time when Musk simply boosted right-wing talking points on X and bickered with Democrats like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. That may have been easier for customers to overlook. After all, Teslas are still some of the very best EVs you can buy.
In just the last few months, though, Tesla's CEO has emerged as a fierce backer of the President-elect and a mainstay on the homepage of seemingly every news outlet. He's become a lot more influential and a lot harder to ignore.
Will this be bad for Tesla? Who knows. The cozy Musk-Trump relationship could benefit Tesla through government contracts, friendly policies or more lax regulatory enforcement.
On the other hand, there's clearly a reason most chief executives do not act this way, and it's because their ultimate goal is to sell more stuff to anybody who will buy it. Seeding a cottage industry of products that mercilessly dunk on your core business is, I would imagine, not something one learns in business school.
The consequences could go far beyond stickers. Other EV makers like Ford, Rivian and General Motors stand to benefit if EV buyers defect from Tesla on a large scale.
It'll be interesting to see if that happens over the coming months and years, because it looks like Tesla's CEO is only wading deeper into the swamp.
Hey Tesla owners! How do you feel about Musk lately? How are you feeling about your purchase? Contact the author at tim.levin@insideevs.com
