I just wrote what I intended to be a measured review of the Tesla Cybertruck. I simply drove the machine and wrote down my thoughts. My review pointed out the truck’s flaws and ultimately concluded that I think it’s “cool” despite its controversial founder. That may sound like the most lukewarm take in automotive media history, but even it was enough to cause people to go absolutely crazy. 442 comments (and counting)!
I initially wondered “How are you supposed to write about the Cybertruck these days without people getting upset?” I’ve concluded that the answer is: You can’t. The Tesla Cybertruck should be renamed the Tesla Powderkeg, and reviewing it is totally pointless.
I’m exhausted by the comments sections of my Tesla Cybertruck review. Readers are pissed. YouTube viewers are pissed. Twitter/x users are pissed. Your neighbor’s dog that just laid a mound on your lawn probably did so because it was pissed. Everyone is pissed! And I don’t like it; I want people (and dogs) to be happy. I want them to enjoy their Sunday, not spend it banging away at a keyboard arguing with people.
But like I said, folks were LIVID the other day. “spooky cartoon spider-man,” in particular, let me HAVE IT on Twitter:
Do I think ripping on such a handsome devil’s looks because said HD called a truck cool is a great way to spend a Sunday? Not at all! Go outside! Throw that dog a frisbee so it doesn’t shit on your lawn again!
To be sure, I get why everyone is pissed. The Cybertruck’s primary proponent, Elon Musk, is a ridiculous person who has offended numerous groups, including ones that have already been marginalized. That’s a big deal, and it’s good that people take that seriously. But if you’re going to promote social unity/fairness, you gotta practice what you preach! That’s the thing about the Cybertruck and my review; it turned people who are normally nice and rational, and who regularly speak up to preserve civil discourse and dignity, into that which they denounce.
There are plenty of parallels to the current political situation. You have one group that believes that you must actively and endlessly hate someone or you yourself are condoning all of the bad things they’ve ever done (one commenter even wrote “There are some people (myself included) that consider Musk a large enough problem that they will judge a persons character when that persons uses or praises his work.” For reference, Tesla sells half a million cars annually in the U.S.). And then you have the other group that worships that person and thinks that anyone who slightly criticizes him is an ignorant hater.
While I think both groups — those who love Tesla and those who loathe it — have good intentions, oftentimes neither can think clearly. One is blinded by hatred, one is blinded by admiration; it really is a tale as old as time.
As such, writing my review was pointless. Solely because I called the Cybertruck “cool,” people are throwing tomatoes and soiled underpants at me and my beautiful, carefully crafted words, saying the writing is somehow “flawed” and that I wrote it solely for “clicks.” Clicks?! THE AUDACITY.
To be a bit more serious: I’m sympathetic to these folks. They are commenters on this site, and I’m grateful they’re here — even the ones who make fun of my looks. At the very least, they are purporting to be standing up against bad things Musk has said. To them, they are championing for a better, more civil, more accepting world, and that’s what we should all want. Does being mean online help their cause? Probably not, but the anonymity provided by the web often ends this way.
But it’s not just the haters, it’s also the lovers.
They believe Musk is saving the world, and in some ways, he’s definitely helped! He’s pushed the world towards electrification, which will end up having huge positive climate change implications (a macho Cybertruck to lure folks away from fuel-sucking SuperDuties could help, too). He’s changed the way the world does space exploration with SpaceX. And he’s done a bunch of other great things, but as was the case before when talking about his flaws, no matter what I say here, I’ll get criticized for not mentioning all of what he’s done. Suffice it to say: He’s done some amazing things in addition to the dumb things he’s said and done.
So when Musk fans see all the compromises I mention in my review and say things like “It’s a dumb, poorly disguised ‘hit piece’ peppered with ads. Don’t waste your time. Zero real insight,” I’m sympathetic. They want Musk to succeed — to sell lots of trucks, so he can save the universe.
I don’t think either group has bad intentions (and we here at The Autopian are totally cool with both writing in the comments section (in a civilized way) their strong opinions about the truck or Musk). I think the problem is that there are only two vocal groups. This is the world we live in today; it’s black or white, and there is little nuance. As a result, people in both groups are allowing the topic to get the best of them, and neither group is going to actually read a Cybertruck review with an open mind, making my endeavor to write one — as previously stated — thoroughly pointless.
Maybe I Should Have Included In My Review Every Single Good And Bad Thing Elon Musk Has Ever Done
Lord knows I’m fallible. While I did point out that the truck cannot be disconnected from highly controversial CEO Elon Musk, some folks felt I should have criticized Musk more. They wanted me to make a special exception for this vehicle review and add a paragraph about the transgressions of the CEO of the company that built the truck.
I personally think that pointing out that people have big feelings about Musk is enough, especially given that The Autopian (and everyone) has written ad nauseam about Musk and his foolish words/actions. I’ve never seen a car review spend that much time focusing on the transgressions of a company exec; plus, I know Elon proponents would have demanded that I add another paragraph of all the good stuff Elon has done. Should I do this for all cars? When I write about Lucid, exactly how many paragraphs do I need to commit to the Saudi Royal Family and the murder of Jamal Khashoggi? If I write a VW review, do I need to talk about Dieselgate? Should reviewers of the Ford Model A and VW Beetle have included paragraph-long asides in their reviews about Henry Ford’s nasty prejudices and the Third Reich, respectively?
[Editor’ Note: I feel sort of compelled to step in at this point, because I’ve been separating the terrible people who ran the companies of the cars I’ve loved from the cars themselves for pretty much all my life. That’s what happens when you’re a Jew who loves VW Beetles, like me. At some point, you just have to let the car be the car. This I suppose can bleed into the idea of separating the art from the artist, which I think generally I tend to do as well, though there’s always some point of too far or too much. Or at least, there can be. It’s blurry, and I think at this moment we’re in an era where no one wants to see gradients or shades, everything is all or nothing, so you either hate the Cybertruck with the heat of a thousand suns or love it with the heat of an equal and opposite number of suns. But that’s not how reality works.
We’re going to be deeply fucked if we, collectively can’t get past this. Not everything is pure good or pure evil, but we can always try to keep our eyes on being as good as we can to as many people as we can, and if that means that sometimes we accept that people will find a truck cool even if the guy whose company sells it is a steaming pile, then maybe that’s not the worst thing. I’ve never seen car fandom/hatedom quite like this ever before, and I sincerely hope this is an inane phase we’ll get past, because at this moment, we all seem kind of nuts. – JT]
No one is objective, and not everyone writes from my perspective, but my perspective is that Elon Musk is a lot of things both good and bad, but he’s definitely a bit of an edgelord with some awful takes and even awful-er communication skills. And because of his megaphone, those are indeed a big deal. My perspective is also that people care about the Cybertruck, and I care about trucks, and I want to know how the truck drives. Doing so, and communicating it in a cogent, uncontaminated way, is my job.
And I have to believe that what some people want is a car review without politics. I’m not saying “stick to sports,” as we write often about politics, and the larger world has to be considered when talking about Tesla — but how much throat-clearing is enough throat-clearing? It is, in a way, absurd to assume that anyone reading a review in The Autopian doesn’t already know about Elon Musk and hasn’t already formed an opinion about him.
Think about how many Tesla Model Ys are sold each year (I’m using this example because loads of them are already out; you likely know somebody who owns one) — roughly a quarter million. The people buying that car just want a good, clean, fun-to-drive, cheap-to-operate car. LOADs of people who drive a Model Y are not Elon Musk supporters. And when they read a review, they want a review — they already know about Elon and his weirdness. They want to know what the reviewer thinks of the Model Y so that they can make an informed purchase. While I suspect Cybertruck shoppers are a bit more opinionated on Musk’s antics than Model Y owners given the polarizing nature of the truck, many — and I’d guess the majority — just think it looks cool, and want to know what it’s like to drive. “It’s only a ’cause’ to you. To me, it’s a truck that does what I need it to do,” writes Cybertruck owner Loudog in the comments of my article. “It’s my money. I had an F-150 I daily drove before this (A Powerboost. Excellent truck but too many recalls.) Now I drive a Cybertruck.”
So that’s how I approached the Cybertruck. I drove it, I thought it was cool, I noted that I thought it was cool even though it had some major flaws, and then I wrote just that, while noting, of course, that it’s a product of a controversial man named Elon Musk (whom you can read about on your own, separately). It was measured, thorough, neutral, and nuanced, and that was my mistake.
I should have acknowledged exactly how much of a jerk Elon Musk can be, while also acknowledging all the things he’s done, while also acknowledging that he didn’t do all those things himself, while also acknowledging the global importance of Tesla, while also acknowledging the local impacts of Tesla, while also, maybe, finding a few minutes to write about the actual vehicle. I’ll do better next time. For that dog, and for your lawn.
Finally, to avoid ending on the sad realization that a simple review of a controversial truck championed by an insanely controversial man caused the internet — a place that struggles with nuance and subtlety — to lose its mind, here’s a comment from “Lost on the Nürburgring” that is fair and manages to be critical of the review and the car, but in a way that’s not completely devoid of reason.
Fair enough. We all have differing appreciation of vehicles for a variety of reasons, in all directions. Even leaving Tesla’s majority shareholder out of the assessment, I just find the Cybertruck a deeply silly vehicle, it’s ugly, there are much better trucks out there, there are better EVs out there, it’s too big/heavy, it’s made out of a silly material for cars, the flat panels are an empirically poor choice for the construction of the vehicle, it’s poorly constructed, it’s charmless. I just fail to find what its value proposition is at any level, other than you’ll get plenty of attention driving it around.
Side note, my initial comment did seem tonally to be more negative towards you than was in any way my intent. I read your whole article on the Cybertruck and enjoyed it, even if I disagreed with most of it. But we can agree to disagree, all of us, I hope, in our passion for various cars.
Now go grab that frisbee. Maybe I should have done that myself instead of wasting time writing a review of a Cybertruck that people have already decided to love or hate! [Dog takes second shit on lawn].
Well I’d like to start off by saying I appreciate DT’s largely unbiased reviews of vehicles. I think the nice thing about this site (and why I’m a velour member) is that you guys review all cars and this is a place for everyone.
If I could pinpoint the issue, I’d say people have lost the concept of what an opinion is and how to respond to it. It’s not just cars, it’s everything. People will see you provide an opinion on something (whether that’s a measured review or a hot take) and automatically start drawing conclusions, taking it very personally, and generally forgetting that you don’t have to agree with someone’s opinion. It can exist on its own. You can disagree, which is what a lot of people have politely done in the aforementioned CT review. Or you could see DT saying “I think this car is cool” and immediately think to yourself “you’re wrong”, as if a subjective take on the “coolness” of a car can be wrong.
And I’ll never understand how you can be so upset by something as insignificant as a car review that you’re willing to resort to argumentum ad hominem, or start attacking the way someone looks.
I could literally go on for days ranting about the pro-Tesla and anti-Tesla people (equally annoying groups), but no one wants to hear it and most people feel the same. But what I do believe is that you shouldn’t be part of this community if you can’t take a step back and realize “not everyone likes the things i do and that’s ok”, or if you’re so weak minded that you’re willing to attack someone personally over the review of a fucking car.
Well put!
I concur with Trenton’s comments. In addition to the even-handedness of your reviews (which is noted), I also appreciated the context provided from your own personal experience. Without getting into the ethical morass of separating Musk from his company, or the products it makes, I think the CT is, in ways, like a Jeep. To a degree, it is a vehicle that carries an image with it, has a number of inherent compromises, has a loyal fanbase, and (fair or not) assigns a certain perception of the owner.
I think your segue was absolutely germane to the review.
Also, more war stories like that if it’s possible. Please and thank you.
Gladly!
Hey, at least your CyberTruck takes are less divisive than your timing belt takes.
[Edit: For the record, I’m teasing. Please take it as a joke.]
I didn’t even read the review because the Cybertruck is unlikely to ever be available in Oz and the number of comments already suggested it was a shitshow in the comments section.
As for wether it was a pointless review…given the intensely personal response….no, I don’t think so. You did your job. Yes it made some people unhappy but that’s the nature of so many public service jobs. Some people are inevitably unhappy but you’ll find on reflection that most people end up satisfied at best or indifferent at worst.
Funnily enough, Tesla vehicles are very rarely reviewed in Australian media (let alone motoring media) as Tesla does not have or support a press fleet. So the outlets often have to try another way to procure a car…or not bother.
You may need a new segment titled “Breakover Angle”. Just saying
As everyone’s favorite Sith lord once said “If you’re not with me, you’re against me” and I can’t think of a better way to describe the state of the internet today.
It’s a problem I started realizing I had too, and I’ve spent the last year or so correcting it which also includes spending less time online. It started taking a toll on my mental health. Aside from direct communication with IRL friends, I tend to avoid social media once I’m home for the night. I completely abandoned reddit.
I can’t write a comment on any website regardless of the topic at hand without getting a handful of angry troll comments from people pissed off I don’t view things the way they do. Particularly with politics. I don’t want to turn this into a political rant, so I’ll keep it short. I’m a moderate, center-left, but if I say anything -positive or negative – in either direction… the commenters act like I just shoved someone’s kid to the ground. It’s ridiculous.
The problem is that there is no real conversation online. People just shout past each other without having to engage them. Everyone is trying to “win” their argument, but there is no winning, No compromise can be made that way. In real life, you have to actually look someone in the face when explaining your stance. That’s WAAY different. It reminds me of how differently people communicate based on the method at work. People are more bold/less receptive in email and on the phone than they are in person.
That’s exactly it. In real life, that’s how I argue, but I slowly realized that my online arguments were less about coming to an agreement, and more about trying to bring the other person down. I started emulating the very behavior I hated. Dropping Reddit (IMO, one of the most toxic websites around) was the key for me. I recommend others do the same if they haven’t already.
With that said, I’m incredibly passionate about the things I love and believe in, and I will shut down (poetically, not hatefully) people who are arrogant, disrespectful, or just flat out say hateful stuff about those things.
Taking a step back and looking at how the internet works, controversy gets attention.
I’m probably feeding the troll here, the point Horizontally Opposed made, but this post is already at 304 comments, and the original one is at 448 comments. Most of the posts on the top page have under 100 comments. I cannot see the views but I think its fair to stipulate they are proportionate to the comments.
People are reporting threats for going against the Tesla fans:
https://www.freep.com/story/money/cars/ford/2021/04/04/tesla-owner-reports-threats-praising-ford-mustang-mach-e-elon-musk-sergio-rodriguez/7076886002/
So going with Tesla is likely the safer option, even if the noted “spooky cartoon spider-man” implies the author is uncool in a picture that makes him look reasonably cool. Also, not that “spooky cartoon spider-man” was not already a household name, but note the Streisand effect, unless the author and Twitter celebrity are intentionally upping each other’s profiles in a manufactured beef?
Reviewing the Cybertruck is not pointless, it keeps the lights on.
For something like the Model 3 there is a separate the man from the art discussion. Not for the Cybertruck. The vehicle itself is the problem.
“Pedestrian protection with that unyielding front end is a big no for export as it stands, although Tesla continues to push in certain markets. Lars Moravy boils it down to two other things: ‘One, the truck market in the US is huge and two, European regulations call for a 3.2mm external radius on external projections. Unfortunately, it’s impossible to make a 3.2mm radius on a 1.4mm sheet of stainless steel.'”
https://www.topgear.com/car-reviews/tesla/cybertruck/buying
“Adrian Lund, former president of the IIHS, has expressed concern, stating, ‘The big problem there is if they really make the skin of the vehicle very stiff by using thick stainless steel, then when people hit their heads on it, it’s going to cause more damage to them.'”
https://www.carscoops.com/2023/12/tesla-cybertrucks-sharp-edges-and-rigid-body-raise-pedestrian-safety-concerns/
I have a Silverado crewcab. It is admittedly indifferent to pedestrians, but it does create potential risks just to make a spectacle out of using a stupid material like stainless steel. My Silverado might pass by someone who needs help, but the Cybertuck stops and kicks them. That is not “cool.”
^does *not* create potential risks
To all you Tesla fans sending death threats: Maybe you should check out the resume of the person BEFORE you threaten them:
“Rodriguez, 41, a U.S. Army veteran who served two tours in Iraq and specialized in explosive ordnance disposal, is now a military contractor”
Weirdly, comments are not a good indicator of post performance. Some of our best posts of all time have just 50 or so comments.
David’s Cybertruck posts are doing about average in traffic. A random RV post beats them in that metric. But comments are off the charts.
What’s the definition of “cool?” That’s the whole point. Quantify it, give me a metric, measure the objective “coolness” of the CT on a numerical scale. You’re going to need some controls for this experiment too, so you’re going to need to find cars that everyone thinks are cool and cars no one thinks are cool. Good luck with that.
If you want to get technical, “cool” as a measure of temperature can be somewhat quantified, and I think the CT is “cool” when it’s stored around or below room temperature.
CyberTruck is the new Harley Davidson
EXACTLY THIS. We can all point to several obvious reasons why genteel public discourse is nearly dead (I’m looking at you US politics and social media), but we need to get over this deeply odd time. As JT put it, “We’re going to be deeply fucked if we, collectively can’t get past this.”
DT – Your review wasn’t pointless. It will never be pointless for us to have thoughtful, objective, and evidence-based journalism. I could not care less about the politics of Elon; however I have been curious to learn how a product that his company sells, something that actually exists in our physical world, stacks up when viewed objectively. You delivered spectacularly, as always.
If anything is pointless, it’s the comments section of a website, or at the very least putting value on anything that is said in a comment (yes, I’m aware that this is a comment and that statement is very meta).
I have to disagree with one of your points: the comment section of a website is its community, and that’s far from pointless on a site that desires to foster that sense of community, both for its own good, and the benefit of its readers.
Unfortunately, more often than not, comment sections just turn into a mess of individuals attacking each other instead of having real conversations. I’m thankful The Autopian is committed to fostering a community where the readers can contribute and engage in thoughtful, informed conversation with each other.
What Dave said.
I don’t think the comments on appearance or other personal attacks were even worth responding to, and there were a lot of more thoughtful comments that weren’t highlighted above. Most of the commentary below the pins was impassioned, but at least tactful. I don’t see that as a bad thing. Comment sections are good, and I will die on that hill.
What, comments can be pinned down?
Oh no, another way to get disappointed on my contributions to the conversation!
hahaha (you’re fine)
Agreed. There are a couple other websites in which the comments quickly devolve into politics and name-calling. Those websites are much less enjoyable than this one.
You’re right. The comments section for the Autopian is a pretty nice community. I like being a car nerd with y’all.
“I like being a car nerd with y’all.”
This needs to be on the next Autopian shirt.
I dislike the Cybertruck on multiple levels. On one hand it’s a big, ugly, heavy piece of trash that perpetually looks dirty and has garbage crash safety. On the other hand it’s built by a company that is run by a garbage person who is like an Austin Powers movie villain.
That being said, I don’t understand how attacking somebody that is reviewing the vehicle makes any sense. Y’all are a media publication that makes money from clicks/views, you kinda have to review whatever’s popular if you want to stay relevant, that’s just the truth of it.
Such is life.
What you experienced yesterday David is the reason why I will never, ever be a politician, CEO, or any public-facing figurehead. Values like balance, gentleness, and nuance (which we both appreciate) have little to no place in today’s highly opinionated us versus them society.
It’s a relatively thankless task you have taken upon yourself to represent this kind of thinking. But hopefully there are enough good people here who value what you do that we can (mostly) steer clear of this kind of unpleasant behavior.
Keep it up. Your review was more than fair and I agree with everything you said here today.
I read this article before seeing the artwork at the top – which made me laugh. I really do hope one day we can be nuanced again and I appreciate your attempt to do so. I don’t have to agree with you to appreciate your opinion.
Personally, I think comments should be limited to subscribers, like on Substack. That will keep out the riff-raff that saw tweets about this article and registered just to be assholes. Those folks drove me mostly off the old G/O sites. It would be a shame for those folks to stick around here.
So, would be interesting to see the breakout of ‘new commenters’ vs ‘regulars’. At least you know Autopian is getting exposure.
My main point with the Cybertruck is that it is absolutely hideous in my opinion. Since that is a subjective opinion, I can’t really say anything beyond the items that everyone has already hashed and rehashed, such as underdelivered battery life, dying after a car wash, its hunger for human body parts, and the absolute hatred of everything analog this vehicle seems to have…it is what it is. That’s it. I don’t know what else you can do, DT, except give your honest assessment from a greasy truck lover.
Also, Musk is an odious human being who’s about to get paid $65 BILLION dollars after consistently losing market share and failing to refresh vehicles that are going on 6 years old at this point. He is the guy that says “there’s a sucker born every day” (I think he ran a circus in a previous life…). DT is absolutely right…it is REALLY hard to support such a person in any way, even if it did drive on water without getting wet. As a member of one of those “marginalized groups,” I’ll give my hard earned funds to another company that at least PRETENDS to care about my needs.
If ever you find yourself developing unwarranted feelings of hope or optimism for the future of humanity or the direction society is heading, look to the Internet to bring you back to reality.
Every time I start wondering how the US got so screwed up, start reading the comments section of any news article, and remember that these people vote and it all makes sense. It does not matter if it is liberal or conservative. For the most part, the Autopian is a welcome reprieve, but every now and then they show up.
Actually, the worst part is that about half of these folks don’t vote but they’ll be ready to whine and moan they don’t like the election results. I have no sympathy for anyone who is eligible to vote but doesn’t, or votes third party, and then the winning side harms them in some way.
I am in favor of people voting who are passionate about issues and take time to stay informed , even if they do not agree with me. If someone is just going to vote because some influencer or talk radio host they happen to listen too espouses a position, I would prefer they stay home. The number of people who just adopt a political position without thinking through all sides of an issue is astounding to me. I don’t agree with every position of any political party. I don’t see how anyone with a brain could. Typically I end up voting for the lesser of two evils, which is a sad commentary on our political system.
Same here – I just will not brook any whining from people who say they’re under attack from our politicians, when they don’t even vote. I’m pro-democracy, but if a certain awful person gets elected, I don’t want to hear complaints from people who voted third party or didn’t vote at all.
The government hasn’t been “for the people” for a century. Yet we still vote for crooks, thieves, and unspeakable people. In the end, the finger should only point one way. That’s the biggest problem with “democracy…” you always know who to blame.
You should have done nothing different with your review. No regrets! Please don’t look back, look forward to the next article. Keep doing the good work you are doing, and we will keep clicking.
Ok DT. Now I’m starting to wonder if you should be nominated to the UN as a representative of all that is kind, thoughtful, and wonderful in the world. /s
It’s ok to call a turd a turd. Or to reference the Muskrat as a horrible piece of excrement. We are mostly grown ups round these parts, partner.
Hi DT and JT,
I take major exception to the central idea that terrible and odious people are somehow just now getting all the hate and adoration from competing factions. Go back to the days of the Robber Barons in the late 19th century and there are clearly parallels from the terrible rich people of yestercentury to the terrible rich people of today. Do you think the factory workers getting underpaid, killed and maimed in 1874 hated the Carnegies and Rockefellers with any less ferocity than the average progressive online shitposter in 2024 when they rioted in the company owned and operated towns?
Hell no. They fought the corporate security, the Pinkertons and sometimes law enforcement with whatever they could get their hands on.
The difference between centuries is there are many more outlets for people to express their opinions, and many more alternative ways nowadays for open-minded people to obtain competing or contradictory information on subjects that were once tightly controlled by a few mass media barons that were best buddies with the people being discussed.
And so the Carnegies of the world weren’t pilloried by the majority of the public as monsters building their fortunes on the literal mounds of bodies of their employees.
They were lionized as masters of industry, men who were changing the world for the better, and geniuses (lol) who were the hardest working men who ever worked (LOL!). And when they whitewashed their reputations by using a fraction of their blood money to build libraries and university buildings and public schools, we let them keep their permanent advertising billboards.
People should have strong opinions about individuals who have the power to destroy the lives of others on a whim and choose to do so on a lark. Remember the private citizen cave divers who put their lives on the line to volunteer to save those kids in Thailand trapped in a submerged cave? Musk took the mildest of rejections as an amateur tryhard that wasn’t helping the situation, accused them publicly of being pedophiles and sicced his millions of weirdo Elon stans on them. As someone who just got a big taste of cyberbullying, imagine how that felt like, the death threats and the idea that someone with hundreds of billions of dollars at their disposal has decided to destroy your public reputation. It didn’t stop there, either. When one of the divers rightly sued Musk for public slander, Musk hired private detectives to rifle through their lives in the hopes of finding some shred of fabricated evidence that they were, indeed, pedophiles. (Spoiler alert: they didn’t find any.)
People like Musk have a separate social system, a separate educational system, a separate financial system, and a separate justice system. We shouldn’t be giving them a break; we shouldn’t be reserving our opinions. The only thing that has any power to keep them in check is the mass of public opinion.
So, not saying I disagree with your points, but how would you approach the entire point of this follow-up article? Which is to say, the cars being created are incredibly important from an industry perspective (I don’t think anyone believes we would have the variety of EVs today if Tesla hadn’t paved the road and Musk is a part of that even if the level of involvement is debatable), Tesla’s vehicles are historically significant and this particular vehicle is of particular interest given its polarizing nature (design-wise, I’m ignoring the political angle).
This is a car site and we all want to learn about the cars. So given how obviously important the political angle is to you, how do you propose this site and others approach the cars?
I personally don’t want this to become a place where you have to list all the caveats in the world around how problematic or angelic a person or company/founder/CEO is in order to get to the main point of, “is this a good car for me or my family, or is this something I am interested in from the POV of it being a car.”
My feeling is, David did a fine job of pointing these things out without going too far into it since there are plenty of places we can go to read all about how horrible or great Musk is as a person. This will just turn into the jello picnic if you start going down that path and it turns toxic.
I say, don’t ignore it but don’t get bogged down by it. But as someone who is more bothered by the negative side of Tesla I am interested to hear how you would handle this more generally.
Otto,
I wasn’t commenting specifically on the original Cybertruck review post. I left comments on that article as well, and I actually complimented DT – I agreed with large parts of his article, disagreed with some of it, but told him it was an entertaining read.
This follow-up article and many other comments on both the original article and the follow-up article are riddled with this mistaken notion that I am specifically addressing, however.
This time is not unique. The terrible people doing terrible things are not unique to now. The people pointing out terrible things happening have not lost their way, they’re simply talking about things that are important to them and bringing them into the conversation.
You ask, “This is a car site and we all want to learn about the cars. So given how obviously important the political angle is to you, how do you propose this site and others approach the cars?“
You can debate the merits of the Cybertruck without bringing in Musk. But writing an article about the Cybertruck and then spending a good chunk of time praising it for intangibles of “vision” and “soul”, and given how much of the “vision” and “soul” of the Cybertruck is attributable to Musk and his untouchable status at Tesla, it opens the door to debate about Musk himself, and his vision and soul.
And also, people are going to bring into the conversation what they want to talk about. They can be ignored or they can be engaged. If someone wants to bring in the Roman Empire while discussing cars, let them! Let the commentariat be the commentariat, within bounds. You can even tell people, “we’re not talking about Musk today, this article is about whether or not the Cybertruck sucks at towing compared to the Model X”. It’s also fine if people respect your sentiment or ignore it. That’s free speech!
You say, “I personally don’t want this to become a place where you have to list all the caveats in the world around how problematic or angelic a person or company/founder/CEO is in order to get to the main point of, “is this a good car for me or my family, or is this something I am interested in from the POV of it being a car.”
That’s the beauty of free speech – you don’t have to. It’s clear the editors and the writers of this site more or less agree with you. It’s also ok to ask the commenters to do so, but it would be more than a bit draconian to enforce it as law. Again, if you don’t like what a commenter is saying (within bounds of reasonable human decency), it’s perfectly OK to ignore what someone else in the peanut gallery is saying.
Even though I disagreed with the review, it was very on brand from one of the very nicest people in automotive journalism. I honestly love that you look for the positives in everything, even if my natural cynicism runs more in Adrian’s direction. I won’t say don’t ever change, because we’ve been watching you “grow up” in real time and it has been heartwarming. But don’t ever lose your positivity and kindness.
Forget the haters and keep doing what you’re doing.
I could write a “whole thing” but I think I can summarize it best by saying (given the owner’s attempt to amplify hate and bring about another fascist dictatorship hellbent on religious and ethnic genocide) that advocating for the CT in any way is like saying “Hitler was bad but he had some good traits”, that’s why a lot of people like me got upset.
That is a completely disingenuous disconnect and you know it. Stop trivializing the gravity of “fascism” and the other “-ism” boogeymen. If you actually pay any attention to the state of the country (and world) outside of an online cosmopolitan upper-income left-progressive leaning bubble, you’d appreciate the fact that calling everyone you don’t like the “F” word is central to why so many people seem to clamor for it and why we are backsliding into a theocracy. If every crime is punishable by capital punishment, then murderers we all are.
…I didn’t use the “F” word. And if people want to give money and coverage that supports Musk and his attempts to subvert democracy, spread disinformation, and facilitate hate…then I guess go for it. It’s still a free country where you aren’t jailed for who you are or what you say, for now…
Brother
Oh, that F word. I don’t call a spade the “S” word. I just call a spade a spade. And I’m not trivializing it. If it wasn’t such a heavy tome I’d recommend every read https://a.co/d/01QcbyCt
You’re way off-base if you think someone saying that a vehicle is kind of interesting equates to an advocation for fascism.
“the owner’s attempt to amplify hate and bring about another fascist dictatorship hellbent on religious and ethnic genocide”
Source needed…
Reference: https://x.com/elonmusk
Don’t worry, David. It was a good review and I agree with your point of view about CT. Just remember that there are some sane people here who appreciate your work. Don’t worry about the comments shit show and be happy that algorithms will love the traffic it created and now Autopian will show up higher in Google results. Look for the bright side, it’s free positioning.
There’s one thing you managed to avoid in your discussion of Elon and Tesla – and that’s the unbelievable idea that one man should be paid $50 billion – it’s just staggering when I think of what good could be done with that much money, and it’s going in the pockets of one guy.
As far as Tesla itself, I’m an admirer of these companies and the people in them that actually do the engineering and make the company and it’s products work – and Elon has little to nothing to do with that. Thankfully.
As for the truck itself, it’s polarizing and weird and different – and I’m generally all for that. I like variety and choices, and while I would not plump down a $100K on any car or truck, I like that it’s out there. I figure in a couple of years they’ll be 1/3 the cost they are now because they are so polarizing – and then it might be fun to have one.
Love you David!
IMO it’s inseparable – the Cybertruck is weird and quirky because it was built as its’ creator originally envisioned. Its functionality and quality are profoundly compromised in order for that to be so.
The creator who had the original vision is total douchenozzle Elon Musk, who got it through the product-development with heavy doses of “I’m the boss what I say goes”, which is the reason why functionality and quality are so profoundly compromised.
I do stand by my market prognostication that small, cheap and weird are a case of “if you’re doing one you need at least two”;
The roads are full of vehicles that are big, pricey and not-weird. That (especially the last by definition) is the default.
I, for one, thought your review was great, and captured my feelings on the thing. It is deeply silly, but I also happy that they’ve managed to make something so silly actually sellable and legal to drive on the road. We need more silly, out-there cars available to buy.
The discourse around Musk isn’t even politics anymore, really. He’s a bizarre person who has done good and done bad in the world. That said, I think the discourse around him in media really turned with the Twitter takeover; the media loved Twitter as it was, and he wrecked it. He let himself get talked into that purchase by the dubious people he surrounded himself with. Considering how much funding for that purchase came from the Saudis, I’d argue the destruction of Twitter WAS the point, but it meant pissing in the cornflakes of journalists and “journalists” everywhere.
I, for one, don’t think you should have done anything different. There is no right way through the internet discourse on certain subjects. It’s why I wouldn’t even look at the comments on that article. People have gone off the deep end when it comes to this guy. They should be focused on the fascist that’s running for president, IMO.
PS – Anyone who insults your looks is just a bully. The left doesn’t like to admit it, but that can be bullies right at the same time they claim to take the high road on “body shaming.” They’re just hypocrites, because they’ll belittle people that don’t agree with them for immutable physical characteristics. Look at what they say about Trump’s hands, or penis, for instance.
Normally, the comments on this site expand upon the article or some tangential tidbits along with some good-natured banter and typically dont devolve into childish nonsense like most of social media these days.
That’s why many of us come here.
Told them they should have let me review it. David is too good and innocent for this sort of work, whereas I hate everyone equally.
Dear sweet Jesus,
Please let Adrian publish a review of the Cybertruck. If he hates it, the vitriol will be as acidic as Xenomorph blood.
If he loves it, the comments section and his replies will be one for the ages.
Your servant,
Stillnotatony
I second this prayer/request!
3rd
{ sacrifices goat in case it’s not a prayer thing to summon Adrian }
You rang? ????
I want Adrian to review all of my terrible cars one day. 🙂
Well, the problem is your cars are actually pretty good, from a design perspective. Their terrible aspects are generally because of previous owners neglect, right?
Now I want that too. 🙂
Well, they’d have to be capable of being driven first.
*reaches for the popcorn*
David’s review was great, but I want this so bad!!! (I say this as someone who neither likes nor hates the Cybertruck…I get excited when I see one in the wild, but I have no desire to own one.) Do we need to have another membership drive?
I think I want this, too. Just know that Adrian hates the Cybertruck without having driven it. If you’re all cool with that (and he’ll say as much in the review), it may be time to just hand him the flamethrower and just see what kind of gold he can cook up. Even if purely for entertainment value.
See?!? SEE?!?
God DOES answer prayer!!!
I support this. Adrian’s take-downs are one of my favorite things about this place.
You wombling fuckocopter.
Come on, man. Unleash the kraken.
let him COOK
and give him more than that stupid flimsy “Not a Flamethrower,” please
Enough new members to pay for a first class flight.
Would you hate me equally if I gave you a signed album by The Cure? Goths still like The Cure right? Haha
somebody ship this wanker a shitmobile
It is one of the reasons why I love reading your stuff and would totally buy you a beer if I could. I don’t always agree with you but I always find your viewpoint interesting.
I’m not opposed to reading a second review. (THIS second review.)
I liked your review. Staying true to vision and constantly fighting with the bean counters and engineers and focus groups is hard. Especially when you’re just a cog and nobody listens to you.
It was a fine article, and it makes me sad that so many of the comments were so personal and focused on who is building the Cybertruck rather than the vehicle itself.
The Cybertruck would be cool if it were a low volume halo project, or something made by a boutique builder. But this is supposed to be a high volume consumer truck, and it absolutely fails to meet the most basic requirements of that market.
It doesn’t matter who is building it, a vehicle intended to be built and sold in volume should not have edges sharp enough to cut people during delivery, or front trunk with such a poor display of force control that it can potentially slice fingers. These are basic product design and engineering failures – not compromises made for styling.
A good indicator that we in fact do not hate Tesla and its products. We hate Elon and everything that gives him money.
Also the Cybertruck is the epitome of Musk’s need of changing things for the sake of marketing and not for making them better.
We, the Elon Musk haters.
I admire the honesty.
I hear there’s free food, tho
we even have cookies without ketamine in them
oh no i appeared in a quasi-COTD context
banned!
Never before in my entire-ass lifetime have I been pushed into defending Elon Musk and somehow that comment section (and this one) made me do it. I feel the strong need to take a shower and use a tongue scraper.
The “But Elon is LITERALLY TRUMP” people not just on here seriously Brinell My Bearings. No, he is not. You might not like him, but he was instrumental in getting tens of thousands of brilliant people to make new rocket and engine designs and push start the current wave of EV popularization along with a national infrastructure, even if exclusive.
If Elon vanished tomorrow, we’d still have those things and all of the associated knowledge, IP, and processes to keep advancing them. If Trump disappeared tomorrow, we’d have some abandoned buildings and dropped court cases (and bankrupt news corporations, which is really why he’ll never disappear).
They are far, far from the same. People who shortsightedly equate them are really just outing their own sports team fandom affiliation when they think they’re being wise and insightful.
Preach!
Emotional intelligence is in short supply these days on all sides. You do good work here. It’s a vehicle centric site and to skip reviewing the Cybertruck is dumb. I like how accepting and generally polite this site is compared to the thunderstorm of yore. I like to think that your real fans and readers here care about keeping this place happy and supportive of all of our automotive interests. But maybe you could capitalize on all the hate commenters by creating an “upside down” version of The Autopian where everything is dark gloomy and angry. “The Auto-pee-on”. Basically like how most movies in the 80’s pictured our actual future. Calvin would approve.
John Calvin the theologian-philosopher or the cartoon kid with the stuffed tiger?
Could be both, I suppose.
I couldn’t spend much time in those comments when I read the article. They started to read like I was on Facebook or some other social media site. Its not articles like your review that will keep me off of here, its the commentariat getting insane that will drive me off.
Good on ya for saying what you felt needed said. I didn’t agree with everything, but I sure hope my comment got viewed as respectful disagreement, not vitriol. Unlike Large Marge, I’m still a happy constituent of the Autopian.
The general theme of our age is: “I don’t like your choices and therefore you should not be allowed to make them.”
To which the rational, educated person has to say: “Fuck em”.