--- title: "People Are Canceling Tesla Orders Because They’re So Disgusted With Elon Musk" description: "Tesla customers are becoming wary of being in any way associated with the company's CEO Elon Musk, after weeks of antics and problematic behavior." date: "2022-12-20" modified: "2022-12-20" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/canceling-tesla-orders-disgusted-elon-musk" categories: - "Advanced Transport" - "Elon Musk" - "Future Society" - "Tesla" - "The Industrialists" tags: - "elon musk" - "tesla" - "the digest" --- # People Are Canceling Tesla Orders Because They’re So Disgusted With Elon Musk ![Tesla customers are becoming wary of being in any way associated with the company's CEO Elon Musk, after weeks of antics and problematic behavior.]() *\Image: SUZANNE CORDEIRO/AFP via Getty Images\* ## Tanking the Brand It's not just Tesla investors who are [at their wit's end]() with CEO Elon Musk, who has been making a [huge mess]() of his Twitter takeover. Even the company's customers are becoming wary of association with the embattled billionaire, as [*CNET* reports](), by opting for a competitor or canceling their orders. "His personality is absolutely tanking the Tesla brand," a biotech exec whose Model S lease is almost up told *CNET*. "I'm looking forward to having an Elon-free existence." ## Troll Mobile The report highlights the degree to which Musk's antics — which have involved making [blatantly transphobic comments](), [spreading misinformation](), and [banning journalists]() for breaking vague and quickly reversed new policies — are having a real-world effect on Tesla's reputation. "I don't want to support a company or anyone who acts that way," another Model 3 lessee, who cancelled his order for a new Tesla, told the publication. Where this kind of tarnishing of a once revered brand leaves the company remains to be seen. Musk has a lot of damage control to do in the coming weeks or months as he [looks for a CEO]() to take over operations at Twitter. Tesla's shares are in the gutter, after having dropped well over 60 percent since the beginning of the year. Investors are [furious]() at Musk for abandoning the company during a time of crisis. On Monday, Wall Street [downgraded its rating]() on Tesla following a [disastrous weekend]() filled with Musk's tomfoolery. To be clear, this is likely far from the end for Tesla. The company still has a healthy head start over its competition in the EV space. But the cracks are starting to show — and Musk's inscrutable behavior isn't going by unnoticed this time. **READ MORE:** [Tesla Buyers Are Bailing Because of Elon Musk, the 'Worst Troll']() \[*CNET*\] ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()