Tesla CEO Elon Musk, unlike Uber’s CEO Travis Kalanick, is not going to quit U.S. President Donald Trump’s advisory council. A boycott movement which registered about 200,000 messages and account deletions from employees convinced Kalanick to end his tenure on the economic advisory council, but Musk will not be moved, according to Engadget.
Is Musk risking Tesla’s image?
On Thursday, Kalanick dropped off President Trump’s advisory council. The reason cited was because of the immigration ban, but the Uber CEO was also targeted for his support of the President. Uber continued to serve JFK Airport during the recent taxi strike, and the subsequent #DeleteUber campaign caused about 200,000 people to flee the ride-hailing service, boosting its competitor Lyft.
In an email to employees obtained by The New York Times, he wrote, “There are many ways we will continue to advocate for just change on immigration, but staying on the council was going to get in the way of that.”
Musk, who is on the same economic advisory council, has hurt his reputation, causing some Tesla Model 3 reservation holders to cancel their pre-orders. Musk has attended several meeting with the President and appeared to strangely back the successful bid of Exxon CEO Rex Tillerson for Secretary of State. The introduction of Musk in the Trump team may even have helped Peter Thiel, his PayPal co-founder and fellow Trump advisor, notes Electrek.
Tesla CEO explains why he is still on the council
Musk possibly thinks differently. In his view, participation does not indicate any agreement with the administration, and he can assist the “greater good” by engaging. In a tweet, the Tesla CEO explained why he is still on the council.
“Advisory councils simply provide advice and attending does not mean that I agree with actions by the Administration,” Musk tweeted.
Musk tweeted that he and others will express their objections to the recent executive order on immigration at the next advisory council meeting. Further, the CEO wrote that they will offer suggestions for the changes to the policy.
Musk added that his goals are to accelerate the world’s transition to sustainable energy and to help make humanity a multi-planet civilization. This will lead to the creation of many jobs and a more inspiring future for everyone, Musk said.
On Thursday, Tesla shares closed up 0.93% at $251.55. Year to date, the stock is up almost 18%, while in the last year, it is up almost 32%.
