The purpose of this post is not to dunk on Elon and Tesla. For context, my wife and I ordered a MXLR last year May/June 2021 and a MSLR in February 2022. The Model X 7 seater has been pushed back for over a year and the more recently purchased Model S was delivered to us ahead of schedule in around 6 weeks. I consider us privileged on many levels, not only are we in a position to own multiple cars during a time when many people are suffering globally, but we received one of our vehicles ahead of other frustrated Tesla customers who have been waiting over a year. I wanted to acknowledge this.
I also want to highlight that as a junior employee at a large tech company I read a story about Elon in a Wired article that I saved until this day (see attached) because the story of what he risked to create Tesla was truly inspiring to me at the time and his vision and bravery is/was revolutionary. With that said, my experience dealing with Tesla over the past almost two years has been disturbing on many levels. The image of the magazine cover attached came out in October 2010. It’s been almost 12 years and the main players within the auto industry have failed to mass produce fully electric cars rivaling the quality of a Tesla. It’s embarrassing. As consumers we should demand more from these car companies. Some of us were fortunate enough to attend colleges or have pension funds who investment in these companies. Many tax payers helped bail out some of these automakers in the US and also helped fund subsidies that allowed Tesla to survive some of its early rocky years. We all played a major role in Tesla’s success. We also played a small role in allowing old guard auto makers to remain complacent and keep pumping out gas guzzling monsters with outdated snake-oil dealership models. I absolutely detest going to auto dealerships. The automobile industry has been ripe for disruption for a long time.
Over the years, I’ve become less enamored with Elon’s “off the court antics.” And as someone who took personal offense to politicians asking Lebron James to “shut up and stick to dribble [a basketball]” at times the irony is not lost on me when I find myself wishing Elon would “shut up and just build Teslas… “ [more specifically a sweet black on black 7 seater model X and potentially my Cybertruck
]. I believe Elon acts this way because the competition is so bad. If competing car companies were where they needed to be Elon might not act so distracted. Because his company has certainly dropped the ball in terms of customer experience.
I love our Tesla Model S and I’m sure we’ll love our Model X (whenever it arrives) along with the Cybertruck (which my wife abhors by the way). But I’m rooting for and supporting the competition because without it, I’m not convinced consumers will be treated with respect and dignity. Great customer service should be treated as important as a feature such as a Yoke Steering Wheel or Swivel Screen. Companies can truly differentiate just on customer service alone. However, I suspect that a vast majority of companies with great customer service do so because intense industry competition and not because of the executive leadership’s desire to treat customers… like humans.
Rant over
I also want to highlight that as a junior employee at a large tech company I read a story about Elon in a Wired article that I saved until this day (see attached) because the story of what he risked to create Tesla was truly inspiring to me at the time and his vision and bravery is/was revolutionary. With that said, my experience dealing with Tesla over the past almost two years has been disturbing on many levels. The image of the magazine cover attached came out in October 2010. It’s been almost 12 years and the main players within the auto industry have failed to mass produce fully electric cars rivaling the quality of a Tesla. It’s embarrassing. As consumers we should demand more from these car companies. Some of us were fortunate enough to attend colleges or have pension funds who investment in these companies. Many tax payers helped bail out some of these automakers in the US and also helped fund subsidies that allowed Tesla to survive some of its early rocky years. We all played a major role in Tesla’s success. We also played a small role in allowing old guard auto makers to remain complacent and keep pumping out gas guzzling monsters with outdated snake-oil dealership models. I absolutely detest going to auto dealerships. The automobile industry has been ripe for disruption for a long time.
Over the years, I’ve become less enamored with Elon’s “off the court antics.” And as someone who took personal offense to politicians asking Lebron James to “shut up and stick to dribble [a basketball]” at times the irony is not lost on me when I find myself wishing Elon would “shut up and just build Teslas… “ [more specifically a sweet black on black 7 seater model X and potentially my Cybertruck
]. I believe Elon acts this way because the competition is so bad. If competing car companies were where they needed to be Elon might not act so distracted. Because his company has certainly dropped the ball in terms of customer experience.I love our Tesla Model S and I’m sure we’ll love our Model X (whenever it arrives) along with the Cybertruck (which my wife abhors by the way). But I’m rooting for and supporting the competition because without it, I’m not convinced consumers will be treated with respect and dignity. Great customer service should be treated as important as a feature such as a Yoke Steering Wheel or Swivel Screen. Companies can truly differentiate just on customer service alone. However, I suspect that a vast majority of companies with great customer service do so because intense industry competition and not because of the executive leadership’s desire to treat customers… like humans.
Rant over
