Matthew LaBrot, a Tesla employee who created the website Tesla Employees Against Elon Musk, was fired from the company two weeks ago. LaBrot claimed in a LinkedIn post that he was terminated for having created the site, and because he was part of a larger group of employees who publicly asked Elon Musk to resign from the company.
Not so, say the employees behind the letter, who signed off as “Tesla Employees for a New Chapter.” They argue that Tesla’s troubles are not due to missteps in Model Y production, but rather to the public reputation of the company’s polarizing CEO, Elon Musk. “Let’s be clear: we are not the problem. Our products are not the problem. Our engineering, service, and delivery teams are not the problem. The problem is demand. The problem is Elon.”
It’s worth noting that Tesla itself made a similar statement on its earnings call last month, conceding somewhat hilariously that “unwanted hostility towards our brand and our people had an impact [on sales] in certain markets.”
This is why corporations have so much power over employees. It’s also why corps get away with so much shit. Make the employee scared to speak out about the awful decisions made. We as employees shouldn’t be afraid to speak out. If the company refuses to listen to your concerns, public pressure is what changes things.
Your response sounds exactly like a prerecorded corporate HR reply.