Elon Musk is known for his unique views on all things automotive and he recently said on Twitter that there are established automakers (which he didn’t name) that are closer than they think to going bankrupt. Granted, he was answering a tweet that specifically stated this and confirmed the original poster’s message, although it does slot into his usual narrative that the traditional car industry is headed for a nosedive.
Answering a tweet by Farzad Mesbahi, a tech content creator on YouTube, who was talking about how fingers are being pointed at Tesla these days even though “most other automakers are on the doorstep of bankruptcy.” To this Elon replied that established automakers (which he did not name directly) are “much closer than they realize” to going bankrupt.
Elon has rarely said anything positive about another automaker, and the only non-Tesla EVs that he’s ever brought praise to are the Ford Mustang Mach-E and the Porsche Taycan. In regard to other companies currently building EVs, he’s mostly predicted their downfall, especially when we’re talking about startups that want to rival Tesla, like Lucid and Rivian.
In fact, just last week the Tesla founder and CEO said he thought Lucid was going to go under, again replying to a tweet saying “they are not long for this world.” That tweet came after it was discovered that Lucid seemed extremely determined to convince those who had put their name down for an Air to go through with their order, even if it meant calling them repeatedly to make sure.
At the same time, Elon has been criticized by Tesla investors and shareholders who consider he is not as involved with running the automaker as he should be, especially after buying Twitter. The EV manufacturer’s third largest individual shareholder said that Musk had “abandoned Tesla” and called for him to step down as CEO so that he could be replaced by someone who could keep their focus on Tesla.
