Topline
Elon Musk, the world’s richest man, blamed fellow billionaires George Soros, Reid Hoffman and the ActBlue fundraising organization over recent protests targeting his firm Tesla, citing an “investigation”—though it’s unclear what investigation he’s referencing.
Protesters have voiced opposition to Elon Musk’s DOGE by demonstrating outside Tesla dealerships. … [+]
CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty ImagesKey Facts
In a post on X Saturday morning, Musk pointed fingers at Democratic donors, including Soros and Hoffman, as well as the ActBlue organization, Democratic Socialists of America and other Democratic-affiliated groups for being behind recent protests against Tesla.
Musk cited an “investigation” finding these groups responsible, but he did not cite any specific investigation, and there is no other evidence linking Soros or Hoffman to the Tesla protests.
Musk also misleadingly called these groups “ActBlue-funded,” though ActBlue does not fund groups, but instead is a platform through which donors can give money to campaigns or organizations.
Musk reposted a tweet by right-wing influencer Mario Nawfal parroting Musk’s claims about ActBlue, Soros and Hoffman, which vaguely cited X, the New York Post and the conservative outlet BizPac Review as sources, though a BizPac Review article about the protests only cited Musk’s post as a source and articles by the New York Post about Tesla protests do not state who is behind them.
Musk’s latest post comes one day after he said, “Something stinks about ActBlue,” in a post on X, which was in response to a user posting about seven ActBlue senior officials resigning at the end of February.
Forbes has reached out to ActBlue for comment.
How Are People Protesting Elon Musk And Tesla?
Tesla has been targeted by protesters angry at Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency’s effort to slash jobs across the federal government. On Saturday, multiple protesters were arrested outside of a New York City Tesla dealership, some of whom chanted: “We need clean air, not another billionaire,” the New York Post reported. Earlier this week, about 350 protesters chanted, “Elon Musk has got to go,” outside of a Tesla dealership in Portland, Oregon. Last week, protesters at more than 50 Tesla stores across the United States demonstrated to protest Musk, and some of the protests have extended internationally to Barcelona, London and Lisbon, CNN reported. Many of these protests appear to be organized on the “Tesla Takedown” website, which urges protesters to “sell your Teslas, dump your stock, join the picket lines. The “Tesla Takedown” website lists the Troublemakers and Disruption Project organizations as sponsors, two of the groups mentioned in Musk’s Saturday post. “Creating a vote of no confidence in him from the shareholders, that would be the ultimate goal,” Alex Winter, actor and protest organizer, told CNN.
Forbes Valuation
Musk is worth an estimated $342.4 billion, according to Forbes estimates, making him the richest person in the world. Much of his wealth comes from his 12% stake in Tesla and his 42% stake in SpaceX, both of which he co-founded. Musk’s net worth is down more than $120 billion from his $464 billion peak in December, as the value of Tesla shares have fallen amid fears over President Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Further Reading
‘Tesla Takedown’ protesters gather outside showrooms to rally against Elon Musk’s role with DOGE (CNN)
Elon Musk Is Officially $121 Billion Poorer Than His Peak—As Tesla Stock Erases Most All Of Its Election Rally (Forbes)
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