Diss Respect
Tesla has struggled in China, where sales have been sluggish and the company needs government approval to sell cars.
So Tesla CEO Elon Musk's decision to post an AI video insulting Chinese President Xi Jinping on social media platform X (formerly Twitter) is bound to leave you scratching your head and any other Tesla executive with an ounce of common sense shaking with worry.
In the AI video shared by Musk, world leaders are seen walking down a fashion runway while Enya's soothing “Only Time” plays, sometimes wearing outfits that poke fun at their history or current news. For example, former president Bill Clinton appears in a blue tulle dress, reminiscent of his ex-girlfriend Monica Lewinsky's infamous blue outfit.
But the video is a dead giveaway for China's leader: Xi is wearing a trouser-like robe with a Winnie-the-Pooh-like image and the initials “CCP” for the Chinese Communist Party — a serious insult in authoritarian China, where dissidents have long used the beloved children's character to mock Xi.
https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1815187468691316946
Bull in a china shop
The taboo against comparing President Xi Jinping to Winnie the Pooh is so strict that a horror film featuring Winnie the Pooh was pulled from cinemas in Hong Kong and Macau last year, which critics said was the result of Chinese censors.
Musk tweeted the video on Sunday, so it remains to be seen how China will respond to such disrespect, but others have taken notice.
Tesla critic Brad Munich tweeted about Musk's video, saying it would have a major impact on Tesla's bottom line.
“Winnie the Pooh memes are banned in China because they are an insult to Xi Jinping, who is said to resemble Winnie the Pooh,” he posted. “China is $TSLA The company built the most profitable factories and generated 70% of global profits in 2023. Anyone tweeting something this reckless must be on drugs.”
And he's right: Tesla's Shanghai factory has replaced its Fremont, California, factory as the company's largest and most productive. The New York Times.
There's no explanation for why Musk would shoot himself in the foot, but the behavior seems normal for the mercurial billionaire, who is often drawn to fights even when they are clearly against his own interests.
Is there anyone who can tell Musk the hard truth about his online behavior and how it's affecting his business? Tesla appears to have no such brakes.
Learn more about Elon Musk: Elon Musk falls from grace after accusing top AI scientist of “getting weak”
