--- title: "Elon Musk Alarmed to Hear Tesla Had Screwed Local Pie Shop" description: "After Tesla royally screwed over a Black-owned pie business in San Jose, billionaire CEO Elon Musk has stepped in." date: "2024-02-26" modified: "2024-02-26" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/elon-musk-tesla-pie" categories: - "Advanced Transport" - "Elon Musk" - "Future Society" - "Tesla" - "The Industrialists" tags: - "elon musk" - "tesla" - "the digest" --- # Elon Musk Alarmed to Hear Tesla Had Screwed Local Pie Shop ![After Tesla royally screwed over a Black-owned pie business in San Jose, billionaire CEO Elon Musk has stepped in.]() *\Image: Getty / Futurism\* ## High and Dry After Tesla [royally screwed over a small pie business]() in San Jose, billionaire CEO Elon Musk has stepped in, [vowing to]() "make things good with the bakery." Earlier this month, a Tesla employee ordered 2,000 pies for Valentine's Day, a last-minute request that had the small business kicking into overdrive. But then the EV maker started ignoring owner Voahangy Rasetarinera's invoices, as [*KRON-TV* reported]() last week, leaving her "high and dry" — and out thousands of dollars in expenses. After finally hearing from Tesla, the company apologized for the late payment, but doubled the order to 4,000 pies. "Sorry to bother you again, but I’m a small business," Rasetarinera told *KRON-TV*. "I don’t have the luxury of infinite resources so I really need to be paid so I can secure my staff." "I received a message back that was like 'Hey, so sorry, I don’t think we’re going to need this order anymore," she added. ## No Authority Days following the publication of the damning report, Musk stepped in, claiming that the company would "make things good." But the damage was already done, with Rasetarinera reportedly turning down other customers to catch up with Tesla's massive order. The incident highlights the sheer chaos going on behind the scenes at the automaker. "Explaining to me what happened that it was miscommunication that the employee, Laura, had no authority to promise any payment," Rasetarinera [told *ABC* affiliate *KGO*](). It's still unclear whether Musk will end up making good on his promise — or what his plan of action even is in the first place. Fortunately, however, the story has a happy ending. Following the report, local residents flocked to the pie shop to support Rasetarinera and her business. "It’s hard for these non-chain type places to survive," one local resident [told a local *NBC* affiliate](). "So I thought, I would come over and support. The pies look great." **More on Elon Musk:** *[Truck Carrying Explosives Seen Driving Into SpaceX Launch Site]()* ## 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]()