In a move that has raised eyebrows, Tesla Inc. (TSLA) has quietly removed CEO Elon Musk’s ‘Secret Master Plan’ from its website. This document, originally published in 2006, outlined Tesla’s environmental goals and its strategy for producing electric vehicles (EVs). Until recently, Tesla referred to the plan as Musk’s creation and the foundation of its mission.
The ‘Secret Master Plan’ detailed steps to produce affordable EVs and transition to a clean energy future. Musk emphasized the importance of moving away from a hydrocarbon economy to one powered by solar energy. In 2016, he further expanded his vision with ‘The Master Plan, Part Deux,’ which projected mass production of Tesla’s Model 3.
Along with the master plan, other significant blog posts have also disappeared from the Tesla website, including a 2016 post about full self-driving hardware. This removal comes at a time when Tesla is facing a class-action lawsuit alleging that the company misled customers about its self-driving capabilities. The California Department of Motor Vehicles has also accused Tesla of exaggerating these capabilities.
The timing of these removals coincides with Musk’s recent political shifts. He has publicly endorsed former President Donald Trump, despite Trump’s previous criticism of EVs. Musk has also softened his stance on climate change, downplaying its urgency and contradicting his own company’s former executive, Andrej Karpathy, on the health risks associated with plastics. This shift has led to scrutiny of his commitment to sustainability, especially given his support for Trump, who has been critical of EVs.
In response to Musk’s endorsement, Trump has shifted his stance on electric vehicles, calling them ‘fantastic.’ However, Musk has emphasized that the transition to EVs should be driven by superior products rather than climate concerns. He believes that building better cars will naturally lead people to adopt EVs.
The removal of Musk’s ‘Secret Master Plan’ from the Tesla website has sparked debate about the company’s future direction and the sincerity of its commitment to sustainability. This move, coupled with Musk’s recent political shifts, raises questions about his priorities and the extent to which Tesla will remain focused on addressing climate change.
