--- title: "Concerned Shareholders Heckled While Addressing Tesla Ethics" description: "At Tesla's Cyber Roundup, concerned shareholders were consistently jeered offstage by other attendees, and Elon Musk failed to address any ethics concerns." date: "2022-08-05" modified: "2022-08-05" authors: - name: "Maggie Harrison Dupré" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/mharrison" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/concerned-shareholders-heckled-tesla-ethics" categories: - "Advanced Transport" - "Future Society" - "Tesla" tags: - "elon musk" - "tesla" - "the digest" --- # Concerned Shareholders Heckled While Addressing Tesla Ethics ![At Tesla's Cyber Roundup, concerned shareholders were consistently jeered offstage by other attendees, and Elon Musk failed to address any ethics concerns.]() *\Image: Joe Raedle/Getty Images\* ## Cyber Roundup Tesla's annual shareholder meeting, regrettably called the "Cyber Roundup," took place last night at [the company's Texas Gigafactory]() — and it turned out to be a real dumpster fire. In light of wide-ranging reports of ethical issues and allegations — including reports of [systemic racism]() and [sexual misconduct](), as well as concerns over [child labor](), [COVID mishandling](), and more — several activist shareholders took to the stage last night to offer a number of ethically-minded proposals that, if passed, could potentially change the company for the better. Infuriatingly, concerned shareholders were consistently jeered offstage by other attendees — and Tesla CEO Elon Musk himself failed to directly acknowledge the proposals either, as [*Techcrunch* reports](). It's a troubling sign that many of Tesla's shareholders simply have absolutely no interest in holding the company accountable in any meaningful way. ## Booed Off Stage Several different activists were the targets of derision and ridicule from the crowd, including a representative from the Nathan Cummings Foundation, who was literally laughed off the stage when she called for Tesla to disclose more information about political lobbying efforts. Another group proposed that Tesla submit a yearly report on its efforts to address organizational racial discrimination and sexual harassment, a proposal that, as *TechCrunch* reports, was outright rejected. And then there were the nuns. Sister Dorothy of Sisters of the Good Shepherd was ruthlessly heckled when she asked Tesla to be more transparent about the [child labor in cobalt mining](), and applause broke out when her time was up. ## Musk Indifference According to [*The* *New York Times*](), only one new proposal, which stipulates that investors can nominate board members, was approved. As for Tesla's CEO, *TechCrunch* reports that the billionaire founder welcomed the audience's cheers and derision, even referring to them as "the best crowd" — and again, abstained from directly addressing any of the ethical concerns. While it's at least somewhat hopeful to see some shareholder activism, it's disheartening to see those who simply want to make the organization better be treated so callously by other attendees. But given the fact that Musk is welcoming this kind of behavior — not to mention the fact that he's the source of much of these controversies — it's not exactly surprising, either. **READ MORE:** [*The 5 Biggest Takeaways from Tesla's Cyber Roundup*]() \[*TechCrunch*\] **More on Musk:** *[This Trial May Mean Elon Musk Is in Big Trouble]()* ## Author At Futurism, I've reported extensively on the rise of AI as a cultural and business force shaping the media industry, and more broadly how those dynamics are changing how we all consume and share information and relate to one another. I'm also fascinated by public health policy and ethics, the role of emerging tech in politics and governance — and the powerful people and forces at those intersections — climate change, and the environment. My investigation on Sports Illustrated's use of AI-generated authors with fictional biographies won a 2024 Mirror Award for "Best Story on Media Coverage of Artificial Intelligence in Journalism and the Media" from Syracuse University's SI Newhouse School, I contributed to Niemen Lab's 2025 Predictions for Journalism series, and I've discussed my work for Futurism during appearances on NPR, CNN, the BBC, the CBC, and more. I grew up in rural Pennsylvania and attended the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where I played Division I field hockey for the Minutewomen as a midfielder. Since then, I've lived in New Orleans, Louisiana and Manhattan, New York. I spend my free time running, reading, perusing archival fashion, and searching for the world’s best negroni. I also have a debonair tuxedo cat, Westley, who's named after "The Princess Bride." ### Author social links [Bluesky]()