A key factor in the shift against Trump was the growing willingness among liberal consumers to punish companies that align with him financially. A new study on Tesla found that when CEO Elon Musk shifted his stance towards far-right politics and participated in the Trump administration, the company lost out on an astonishing amount of sales – roughly doubling its average loss. The researchers estimate that if Musk had behaved differently, Tesla could have sold as many as 1.25 million more cars over the past three years, which is equivalent to about 83% of the company's actual sales.
The study suggests that liberal consumers are increasingly willing to wield financial power to punish companies they see as aligned with Trump. In response to Musk's role in DOGE, a cryptocurrency backed by Trump, an organized campaign called #TeslaTakedown was launched, which resulted in a significant decline in Tesla's sales. The researchers found that the company lost out on nearly 150% of its actual sales, mostly among heavily Democratic counties.
This trend has implications for how pro-democracy organizing can be effective. Historically, nonviolent resistance has relied on coercion and changing the cost-benefit analysis of key actors. In recent years, there have been examples of this strategy being used by both left and right-wing consumers to influence corporate policies. For instance, a boycott movement against Bud Light in 2023 helped speed a decline in "woke" corporate advertising.
In the context of democratic backsliding, complacent corporate classes are only one condition contributing to the problem. However, they are a significant factor nonetheless. The raw material for this strategy is available, and the question now is whether anyone will be willing and capable of leveraging it effectively.
The study suggests that liberal consumers are increasingly willing to wield financial power to punish companies they see as aligned with Trump. In response to Musk's role in DOGE, a cryptocurrency backed by Trump, an organized campaign called #TeslaTakedown was launched, which resulted in a significant decline in Tesla's sales. The researchers found that the company lost out on nearly 150% of its actual sales, mostly among heavily Democratic counties.
This trend has implications for how pro-democracy organizing can be effective. Historically, nonviolent resistance has relied on coercion and changing the cost-benefit analysis of key actors. In recent years, there have been examples of this strategy being used by both left and right-wing consumers to influence corporate policies. For instance, a boycott movement against Bud Light in 2023 helped speed a decline in "woke" corporate advertising.
In the context of democratic backsliding, complacent corporate classes are only one condition contributing to the problem. However, they are a significant factor nonetheless. The raw material for this strategy is available, and the question now is whether anyone will be willing and capable of leveraging it effectively.
like what even is the #TeslaTakedown thing? is it like a big list of companies that are anti Trump and dont get sold to people who like him? idk how they track all that data tho... anyway, I guess its cool that liberal consumers are getting more into this stuff. my cousin works for Tesla and hes always saying how hard it is to please everyone at the same time lol
the whole thing is wild. like i've been saying for ages that our economic power as consumers can't be ignored. if we want to effect change, we need to use our wallets 
not just our voices. the fact that liberals are willing to take their business elsewhere when companies align with trump shows me that we're getting more serious about holding corporations accountable.
either way, i think this is just the beginning of a new era where we use our economic power as a tool for social change.
. I mean, who would've thought that just because a CEO expresses some views they don't agree with, companies like Tesla lose out on so many sales? It's not even about the politics themselves, but more about the whole "do we align with this person or not" thing 
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But at the same time, I'm not sure this is a healthy trend. Are we really just going to punish companies that disagree with us financially? That's kinda like boycotting people who think differently from you... doesn't promote any real change 
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. It's like, if you're gonna make a splash, be prepared to take the heat 
️.