Tesla Shareholders Demand 'Musk Honesty' at Board Meeting: "Go Get Treatment"

Tesla CEO Elon Musk's unrestrained remarks have prompted Tesla shareholders to demand his honesty and put the brakes on his behavior.

According to major foreign media including CNN on the 20th (local time), a Tesla shareholder demanded Musk's honesty to the board of directors due to his recent pro-anti-Semitism posts. Jerry Brackman, president of investment firm First American, directly stated in a statement, "(Musk) should step down for 30 to 60 days to undergo empathy training or therapy."

He said, "I believe in freedom of expression, but there is no excuse for the head of a publicly traded company to spread hate," and "his wealth and technical and business capabilities cannot be used as an excuse to forgive his remarks." First American, headquartered in Santa Ana, California, holds 16,000 Tesla shares (as of the end of the third quarter).

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

Other shareholders also raised their voices criticizing Musk for destroying Tesla's brand. Ross Gerber, CEO of Gerber Kawasaki, recently told CNBC, a U.S. business news outlet, "(Musk's behavior) is completely absurd," and "he is destroying the Tesla brand." Nell Minow, vice president of ValueEdge Advisors, a consulting firm specializing in corporate governance and a Tesla shareholder, pointed out, "The Tesla board should receive consulting to assess how Musk's terrible behavior affects brand value."

There were also calls for the board to strengthen oversight and take action. Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, a leadership studies professor at Yale School of Management, told CNN, "The Tesla board has a responsibility to act," and "he should not be allowed to use the title of Tesla CEO." Sonnenfeld added that if Musk were to serve as Chief Technology Officer (CTO) instead of CEO, it would have little impact on Tesla's stock price.

Earlier, on the 15th, Musk posted on his social media platform X a claim that "Jews are forcing hatred against whites." Following this, major advertisers such as Disney, NBCUniversal, Comcast, and Warner Bros. Discovery, the parent company of CNN, declared an advertising boycott of X. This movement was also influenced by Media Matters, a progressive media watchdog group, which announced that some brands' ads on X were placed next to pro-Nazi content.

Amid the advertiser exodus, Musk urgently explained on the 20th, "Hundreds of pseudo-news articles claiming I am anti-Semitic were published last week, but they are far from the truth," and "I only wish the best for humanity, prosperity, and a bright future for all." He also posted a message condemning Media Matters, which pointed out Nazi content on X, calling them "true evil."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.