It isn't paranoia when they are really after you. Tesla has been attacked by both the
Los Angeles Times and the
New York Times. Tesla has withstood accusations from both the
Wall Street Journal and
Forbes. Tesla is being constantly hounded by ANALysts from FAUX News and CNBC. And even coverage from Reuters and Bloomberg is on the doubting side of the table, as anything announced by Tesla is met with quizzical facial expressions similar to those of a Third Grader trying to puzzle out how any times 13 guzzinta 39...
Shaping customer expectations through communication is an important part of maintaining control of your company and product narrative. Failing to adequately convey your intentions to your target market at the appropriate time usually comes back around to bite you in the ass. It also leaves a company wide open for others who may not have the company's best interests in mind to construct a narrative. In my eyes, Tesla has a problem with both not communicating enough but also communicating too much too early... granted, it could be argued that this is an artifact of the somewhat precarious financial position Tesla is in.
If your argument is that Tesla is in too precarious of a position to be able to provide any sort of general information with regard to production timeline intent at the appropriate juncture, taking into consideration the importance of a smooth Model 3 launch for the future of the company, then they're already hosed. Stand down threat level tinfoil.
Either way, we're all just gonna have to sit back and wait to see how Tesla handles things this time around.
Please explain the apparent communication failure you perceive from Tesla telling Customers,
"Your car will be ready when it's done." or conversely,
"No car will be Delivered before it is built."
What is inadequate about saying,
"We are working hard to make sure the Model ≡ is the best car that can be had for the money."...?
What do you consider an
'appropriate time' to disseminate critical insider information to individuals outside the company without any advance warning to shareholders?
As I noted above the traditional media remains more than willing to create a narrative of their own regardless of what Tesla says. That is often due to their belief those who don't pay for advertising do not deserve to have good news published about them. Screw those guys.
Three years ago, Elon Musk became rather fed up with how so many reporters were misquoting him. He also didn't like how his honest enthusiasm was being portrayed as 'hype'. So, he announced that Tesla will be holding their cards close to the vest going forward. He has maintained that stance ever since. To good effect in my opinion.
My argument has nothing to do with Tesla's financial state. It has everything to do with avoiding the sort of
'appearance of impropriety' that leads to highly publicized and typically inaccurate scandals. Tesla cannot afford such a distraction. Especially not one that involves the SEC and perhaps has an official nature attached to it. That could lead to a lack of faith in the stock and diminished interest in the product line if Tesla is somehow tainted to seem
'dirty'. Best to avoid entrapment by not laying snares for yourself.
