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John Oliver, the late-night comedy host of the popular HBO show, Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, has released his latest episode covering everything related to Elon Musk.
John Oliver kicked off his show by saying “We're going to dive straight in with our main story tonight. This is our final show of the year so we thought we would focus on someone who's had a pretty big 12 months – Elon Musk, a man who can pull off pretty much any bad guy in a movie look.”
The episode mainly focuses on Elon Musk’s latest conservative tilt, Musk’s increasing power in the realm of politics, Musk’s Twitter purchase, antisemitism allegations, and an overview of Musk’s life and companies including a deep dive into SpaceX and Tesla.
The Tesla Cybertruck’s Paintless Ultra-Tough Stainless Steel Exterior is Already Resulting in Much Lower Insurance Premiums. @Tesla @elonmusk#Teslahttps://t.co/pmYY311iJx
— Torque News (@torquenewsauto) December 14, 2023
Being a political show, most of the content focused on politics, however, throughout the episode Tesla was also extensively covered in conjunction with Elon Musk.
Related News: The Tesla Cybertruck’s Paintless Ultra-Tough Stainless Steel Exterior is Already Resulting in Much Lower Insurance Premiums
Oliver highlighted Tesla’s early days and showed a video from 2009 where Elon Musk is seen in a meeting with original Roadster reservation holders prior to the vehicle’s delivery.
In the video, frustrated reservation holders can be seen complaining to Musk that it’s unfair Tesla increased the vehicle prices without communicating to the people who paid thousands of dollars to reserve the sports car.
Musk admits to Tesla doing a “bait and switch” on the company’s early customers while at the same time explaining to them that Tesla “can’t sell cars for less than it cost us to produce.”
During the episode, John Oliver mentions “Elon has made news all year from test launching the most powerful rocket ever built to just this week having to recall two million cars due to safety concerns.”
It should be noted here that the recall John Oliver is alluding to here is a simple over-the-air software update with fairly basic changes to how many taps you will need on the stalk to engage and disengage the autopilot software and other similarly minor changes.
Tesla Cybertruck Orders Show Tri-Motor Cyberbeast is Way More Popular Than Cybertruck AWD, Delivery Dates Diverge by 9 Months. @Tesla @elonmusk#Cybertruck
-https://t.co/Ls2Tvj9Nt1
- pic.twitter.com/modwzfHSom
— Torque News (@torquenewsauto) December 16, 2023
Oliver also mentions safety issues related to Tesla factories saying “Damage [Elon Musk causes to his employees] isn't just emotional. Workers at his factories complain of immense pressure and unrealistic deadlines.”
John Oliver continues “A report a few years ago on his Tesla Factory in Fremont California found employees complaining that style and speed trumped safety and that workers there have been sliced by Machinery; crushed by forklifts; burned in electrical explosions; and sprayed with molten metal. One worker even claimed that she had been told Elon didn't want signs or anything yellow, like caution tape, in the factory.”
The episode brings down the hummer on Elon Musk and his various companies however, depending on your view of Elon Musk, the best or worst Joh Oliver Elon Musk takedown, happened when the comedian discussed the Cybertruck.
Oliver starts his Cybertruck review by highlighting the incident at the original 2019 Cybertruck unveiling event where the vehicle’s windows shattered during a botched demonstration.
Tesla’s top executives have recently been filmed thoroughly testing the final Cybertruck’s “shatter-resistant” glass outside of Giga Texas.
After showing the video of Tesla’s Chief Designer Franz von Holzhausen accidentally breaking the Cybertruck’s windows on stage, Oliver goes on to really rip the Cybertruck apart.
The comedian says talking about the Cybertruck…
“I mean, I don't want to own one or drive near one. It's basically a 7,000lbs smooshed up refrigerator moving at 60 mph being driven by odds are a real piece of S###.
But, there is something appealing about a man so passionate about his idea that he's willing to ignore questions about aesthetics, performance, durability, practicality, safety, and who on Earth actually wants to spend up to $100,000 to drive every child's first attempt at drawing a car.”
Although hilarious, this is one of the most brutal Cybertruck takedowns we’ve seen from any mainstream media outlet.
The episode is interesting and in the spirit of fairness also contains a lot of praise for Elon Musk and Tesla. Overall, I highly recommend you watch the whole thing in full.
A final point I want to make here is that, putting aside whether he’s right or wrong, this Last Week Tonight episode shows Elon Musk’s recent political pronouncements and Twitter purchase have started to alienate left-leaning individuals who used to be Musk’s biggest fans.
Having said that, despite all the controversies surrounding Musk, Tesla appears to still be able to sell every car it makes. And we’ll be sure to keep you posted on how Elon Musk’s actions affect the EV maker going forward.
Until then, make sure to visit our site torquenews.com/Tesla regularly for the latest updates.
So what do you think? Were you disappointed or chuckled when you heard John Oliver’s harsh Cybertruck takedown? Also, what do you make of the comedian’s Elon Musk & Tesla praise and criticism? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
Image: Screenshot from Elon Musk: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO)
For more information check out: Tesla Cybertruck Orders Show Tri-Motor Cyberbeast is Way More Popular Than Cybertruck AWD, Delivery Dates Diverge by 9 Months
Tinsae Aregay has been following Tesla and The evolution of the EV space on a daily basis for several years. He covers everything about Tesla from the cars to Elon Musk, the energy business, and autonomy. Follow Tinsae on Twitter at @TinsaeAregay for daily Tesla news.
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