Tesla co-founder Martin Eberhard has criticized the cars (and their design) that the company, led by billionaire Elon Musk, is currently producing.
Tesla co-founder Martin Eberhard has criticized the cars (and their design) that the company, led by billionaire Elon Musk, is currently producing.
He said this in an interview with YouTuber Kim Java, writes Futurism.
«I’m actually disappointed that Tesla has canceled its low-end car program. Because that’s what the world needs — not trucks that look like garbage cans,» the Tesla co-founder said.
His opinion is shared by many Tesla investors and fans of the brand, who point out that the company has not fulfilled its promise to release an affordable electric car for $ 25,000. It is believed that this would open up access to millions of new customers who have hesitated to buy electric cars because of their price, and would save the company from a decline in sales.
However, Elon Musk’s recent rhetoric suggests that Tesla is now moving away from this idea, which it has promoted in recent years. Instead, the company has released the Cybertruck, which is the opposite of an affordable car — it’s big, heavy, and expensive, both in cost (around $100,000) and maintenance.
Eberhard founded Tesla with Mark Tarpenning in 2003. Musk joined the company the following year, investing $6.5 million in the startup, and became chairman of the board.
However, they failed to work together, and Musk fired Eberhard as CEO in 2007, later taking over the role himself. Eberhard filed a defamation lawsuit against Elon Musk in 2009, and later reached an out-of-court settlement. As part of the settlement, Musk was allowed to call himself the co-founder of Tesla.
However, the entrepreneurs still don’t get along, and Eberhard occasionally publicly criticizes Musk and his decisions.
«I believe in treating employees with respect, and I don’t support random layoffs and things like that. So maybe the culture within the company would be a little nicer,» Martin Eberhard told Business Insider, reflecting on how he would run the company.
