Photo: Tesla
Elon Musk's late-night Twitter rants are just about as famous as the actual products of his companies, and some might even argue there's a direct correlation between the two.
Would Tesla be what it is if it weren't for Musk's quirky personality? Could a bland, politically correct CEO turn an EV startup into a brand challenging the status quo of the automotive industry and having legacy carmakers scramble to remain relevant? Maybe, but at the same time, maybe not. Just look at all the EV startups that followed Musk's company and are either lost in oblivion already or still struggling to make a name for themselves.
That isn't to say Musk's Twitter antics can't also act as a double-edged sword. They have landed him in trouble before, either him personally or the company itself. It was only weeks ago, in fact, when one simple tweet caused the stock price of Tesla Motors (TSLA) to drop significantly, effectively shaving a few billions of dollars off the company's total value. That's tens of millions per character.
This time, Musk's message is crafted a lot more cleverly. On Sunday evening, when most people are pouring a glass of wine and getting ready to sit in front of the TV, Musk fired up the Twitter app and wrote this: 'Take the red pill,' followed by a single red rose. What?
OK, so it's no secret Musk believes (or at least isn't ready to dismiss the idea) we are living in a computer simulation - it's something he said quite a few years ago, and it appears there are plenty of people who share his views. That fits perfectly with the plot of the Matrix trilogy, so him tweeting this could be a reference to the cult movie. There, taking the red pill meant snapping out of the induced slumber and becoming aware of what was truly going on.
However, the same expression - or being "red-pilled" - has more recently become synonymous with embracing a right-wing doctrine. Musk has previously declared himself as 'openly moderate,' which is somewhat surprising from a person who is not afraid to rock the boat, but a perfectly natural one for somebody who doesn't want to bother themselves with the burden of politics.
If this tweet came two weeks ago, nobody would have seen past the Matrix reference. Now, though, after the entire saga with the Californian authorities and their interdiction to reopen the Fremont plant, Musk's message is a lot more open to interpretation. But unless Musk comes out and explains everything, we'll never know for certain what he meant.
The red rose only makes matters even more confusing. Traditionally, the political symbolism of a red rose is connected to the social-democratic side of the spectrum. On top of that, it was only last year when Musk declared his support for Democratic candidate Andrew Yang, so was this whole debacle with the factory reopening enough to sway Tesla's CEO to the other side? I guess we'll find out soon enough one way or another.
In the meantime, though, the Matrix co-director Lilly Wachowski wasn't too pleased with Musk's inclusion of the famous line, nor with Ivanka Trump's meddling by tweeting "Taken!" in response to Elon's initial message. Wachowski only used four words in her message, one of which we won't be able to reproduce in its entirety: "F*** both of you."
That isn't to say Musk's Twitter antics can't also act as a double-edged sword. They have landed him in trouble before, either him personally or the company itself. It was only weeks ago, in fact, when one simple tweet caused the stock price of Tesla Motors (TSLA) to drop significantly, effectively shaving a few billions of dollars off the company's total value. That's tens of millions per character.
This time, Musk's message is crafted a lot more cleverly. On Sunday evening, when most people are pouring a glass of wine and getting ready to sit in front of the TV, Musk fired up the Twitter app and wrote this: 'Take the red pill,' followed by a single red rose. What?
OK, so it's no secret Musk believes (or at least isn't ready to dismiss the idea) we are living in a computer simulation - it's something he said quite a few years ago, and it appears there are plenty of people who share his views. That fits perfectly with the plot of the Matrix trilogy, so him tweeting this could be a reference to the cult movie. There, taking the red pill meant snapping out of the induced slumber and becoming aware of what was truly going on.
However, the same expression - or being "red-pilled" - has more recently become synonymous with embracing a right-wing doctrine. Musk has previously declared himself as 'openly moderate,' which is somewhat surprising from a person who is not afraid to rock the boat, but a perfectly natural one for somebody who doesn't want to bother themselves with the burden of politics.
If this tweet came two weeks ago, nobody would have seen past the Matrix reference. Now, though, after the entire saga with the Californian authorities and their interdiction to reopen the Fremont plant, Musk's message is a lot more open to interpretation. But unless Musk comes out and explains everything, we'll never know for certain what he meant.
The red rose only makes matters even more confusing. Traditionally, the political symbolism of a red rose is connected to the social-democratic side of the spectrum. On top of that, it was only last year when Musk declared his support for Democratic candidate Andrew Yang, so was this whole debacle with the factory reopening enough to sway Tesla's CEO to the other side? I guess we'll find out soon enough one way or another.
In the meantime, though, the Matrix co-director Lilly Wachowski wasn't too pleased with Musk's inclusion of the famous line, nor with Ivanka Trump's meddling by tweeting "Taken!" in response to Elon's initial message. Wachowski only used four words in her message, one of which we won't be able to reproduce in its entirety: "F*** both of you."
And she's not alone. At the time of writing, the tweet has gathered close to 27k replies, and you won't be surprised to know a large part of them aren't supportive of Musk's choice for words. In fact, there are roughly three types of messages: one saying "how could you, don't you know what that stands for?", another telling those that fall into the first category they are overreacting, and finally the oblivious Matrix fans who are simply glad to be reminded of their favorite movie and to share this passion with one of the most successful tech entrepreneurs.
So, considering everything, what's your take on Musk's tweet?
So, considering everything, what's your take on Musk's tweet?
Take the red pill 9
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 17, 2020
Google News