Criticism of smart working, branded a “morally questionable practice” and the Federal Reserve “too slow” to lower US interest rates. And the announcement that Tesla, which has just celebrated its 20th anniversary, will try its hand at advertising: “We’ll try to do some advertising and see how it goes”. And then a cautious consideration on the “growing belligerence” between the United States and China – “I think it should be a concern for everyone” – which reveals how much politics, perhaps from a privileged observatory such as the Oval Office at the White House, is in his thoughts ( and in his dreams: born in South Africa and became a US citizen in 2002, the US presidency cannot be one of the achievable goals).
What emerges from the interview given by the visionary entrepreneur and innovator to David Faber of CNBC after the annual meeting of Tesla shareholders is an all-round Elon Musk. From Austin, Texas, Musk has his say on all major economic issues, starting with the monetary policies of the United States. The owner of Twitter and Tesla said he was in particular “concerned that the way the Fed is acting is too slow and will also be slow in the coming months”. “The data is somewhat outdated,” explained the millionaire, predicting that next year will be difficult for Tesla and other companies, as “such high interest rates weigh on consumers’ budgets”.
New criticisms of smart working
Never-ending controversy and criticism will instead follow his position on remote working. Musk has in fact called out people who work from home, saying it is an affront to those who have to show up at the workplace. In other words, turning on your work laptop from a “home” location would reduce productivity, sending the wrong signal to employees and work colleagues who do not have this possibility.
“The people who build cars, who maintain cars, who build houses, who fix houses, who produce food, who produce all the things that people consume. It’s wrong to think that, yes, they have to go to work, but you don’t,” Musk explained. “It’s not just a matter of productivity, I think it’s morally wrong.” Musk has been a strong advocate of back-to-office policies, and last summer he issued an ultimatum to Tesla employees requiring them to spend a minimum of 40 hours in the office a week. “The laptop class is living in a dreamland,” he underlined in an interview with CNBC.
The advertising debut for Tesla
Musk then announced that Tesla would try advertising, a major turning point for the 20-year-old company. “We’ll try some advertising and see how it goes,” he announced to Tesla shareholders on May 16 in response to questioning. of an investor. Tesla has long prided itself on word-of-mouth among its fans to market its vehicles, and has built the fortune of the brand without going through traditional advertising on television, radio, newspapers or magazines. Speaking on CNBC, Musk clarified that paying for ads could be a way to expand beyond the existing user base as the company grows. “It’s worth a try and we’ll see how effective it is,” she said. “I’ve only agreed now, so it’s not a fully formed strategy.”