Although Rawlinson was on the big screen for just two seconds, it could have been enough to make Musk fume if he even noticed that behind his sunglasses in an indoor event at night. The question that entertains us, at this point, is whether the people who prepared the presentation did that on purpose or just because the Lucid CEO was inevitable if Tesla wanted to talk about the time “when it started.”
If it was on purpose, we must wonder who prepared the presentation. There are only two possibilities: Tesla’s team or a supplier. Considering the company is a fan of verticalization, the first possibility seems to be the strongest one, which makes it easier for Musk just to fire the ones who put him in the shameful situation of presenting Rawlinson in a role he denied the Lucid CEO ever had.
It seems more likely that the people who prepared the presentation just did not have any idea who Rawlinson was or just chose the video excerpts that made more sense for that presentation regardless of the people that were in them.
If that was the case, Martin Eberhard and Marc Tarpenning – the true Tesla founders – could have shown up as well, but they didn’t. Ironically, Musk just bashed Eberhard on Twitter, saying he was “pure poison.” The tweet has been deleted, but screenshots will not let it die. Another irony is that Tesla and Musk showed Rawlinson helped build what Tesla is today. Make sure you watch the video while you can.
???? where it started indeed…cameo appearance at CyberRodeo by @LucidMotors CEO Peter Rawlinson pic.twitter.com/UT8TpD2vX0
— Jeff Curry (@jcurry) April 8, 2022
The only people who pass the but-for test for creating what people know as Tesla are JB & me. Wish I’d never met Eberhard. He is pure poison.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 10, 2022
Imagine being the richest person on Earth & still pissing on the history of the company and guys who helped make that money. Yes, Tesla’s founders are Martin Eberhard and Marc Tarpenning, while Musk was a *critical* early backer, chairman and later took cofounder title. pic.twitter.com/UByQFNPTXk
— Lora Kolodny (@lorakolodny) April 11, 2022