‘Damage done to Elon’s personal brand is now irreversible’, says ‘fired’ employee who created ‘Tesla Employees Against Elon’ website

Matthew LaBrot, a former Tesla employee has claimed that he was sacked by the company for criticising CEO Elon Musk. LaBrot, according to his LinkedIn bio, worked as Staff Program Manager at Tesla. Sharing a post on the professional networking website, he wrote “I was fired from my dream job at Tesla. Pretty punchy headline, right? Unfortunately, it’s not clickbait, I was let go from Tesla nearly two weeks ago.” Explaining further, he wrote “My job performance, and my team’s performance, had nothing to do with my termination.”He further revealed that he was terminated because he created a website called “Tesla Employees Against Elon”, demanding Musk to step down as Tesla CEO. The website reads:

“The damage done to Elon’s personal brand is now irreversible and as the public face of Tesla, that damage has become our burden. We are now at a crossroads: continue with Elon as CEO and face further decline as customers abandon the brand, or move forward without him and allow our products and mission to succeed or fail on their own.We vote for the latter. It’s time to say the quiet part out loud.”

Calling Musk as the ‘problem’, the website further states: “Elon’s recent claim that he is “refocusing” on Tesla is not only tone-deaf, it’s insulting. It implies that the hardships of the past six months stem from a lack of his attention, not from his actions. It shifts the blame onto the very people who have held this company together. Let’s be clear: we are not the problem. Our products are not the problem. Our engineering, service, and delivery teams are not the problem. The problem is demand. The problem is Elon.”

Here’s the full text as available on Tesla Employees Against Elon

Tesla Employees Against ElonTesla is ready to move forwardTo Whom It May Concern,Tesla is at a pivotal moment. The damage done to Elon’s personal brand is now irreversible and as the public face of Tesla, that damage has become our burden. We are now at a crossroads: continue with Elon as CEO and face further decline as customers abandon the brand, or move forward without him and allow our products and mission to succeed or fail on their own.We vote for the latter. It’s time to say the quiet part out loud.Elon’s recent claim that he is “refocusing” on Tesla is not only tone-deaf, it’s insulting. It implies that the hardships of the past six months stem from a lack of his attention, not from his actions. It shifts the blame onto the very people who have held this company together. Let’s be clear: we are not the problem. Our products are not the problem. Our engineering, service, and delivery teams are not the problem. The problem is demand. The problem is Elon.Consumers aren’t walking away from Tesla because they are losing interest in EVs. U.S. EV sales grew 10% in Q1 2025 vs Q1 2024, while Tesla sales declined 9% (Cox Automotive ). This is not because our cars got worse. Not because of affordability issues. But because people no longer want to associate with Elon. That’s it. That’s the truth.Even if, hypothetically, some protesters were paid (they weren’t), no one is paying customers not to buy Tesla’s. They are choosing that all on their own. And it’s costing us. Every. Single. Day.Internally, our workforce is divided, and we know this message won’t represent every Tesla employee. That’s okay. But the facts are facts: we now have thousands of brand-new, updated Model Ys sitting on lots across the country. The very vehicle our own earnings call identified as the missing piece to Q1’s delivery shortfall:“The ripple effect of the change [to Model Y production] is not having enough new Model Y available in most markets for people to see and experience till the last few weeks of the quarter.”Now those very cars are sitting unsold, growing week after week. Production is running better than ever. Quality is high. Processes are strong. Demand is what’s broken. This is not a product problem. It is a leadership problem.We want to be clear: none of this erases the impact Elon has had on Tesla’s journey. He helped create something extraordinary. The mission we’re fighting for exists in large part because of his early vision. But that doesn’t mean he’s the right person to lead us forward now. In fact, it’s clear he’s not.The sustainable energy movement that Tesla helped bring to the mainstream will continue, but if we don’t act now, it will continue without us.Tesla is ready to move forward. And we’re ready to move forward without Elon as CEO.Respectfully,Tesla Employees for a New Chapter

Here’s what the sacked Tesla employee wrote on LinkedIn

I was fired from my dream job at Tesla.Pretty punchy headline, right?Unfortunately, it’s not clickbait, I was let go from Tesla nearly two weeks ago.You might be asking, “How is that possible? Weren’t you and your team absolutely crushing it? Weren’t you revolutionizing frontline Learning & Development programs, increasing engagement, improving knowledge retention, and fostering a renewed commitment to training across North America?”The answer? Yes. Yes, we were.My job performance, and my team’s performance, had nothing to do with my termination.I was fired because of this: https://lnkd.in/gcri2dxfI’ll wait while you give it a read……Read it? Great.Given the domain name, you’re probably not surprised I was fired. But I hope the letter made it clear where I stand: I support Tesla and its mission. I want that mission to grow and thrive. And I believe we can’t do that with Elon Musk as CEO.I didn’t take this stance lightly. I understood the risks, and I spoke out anyway. Because I believe in Tesla’s mission more than I fear its CEO.If that letter resonated with you, you’re not alone. I’ve heard from many current and former employees who feel the same but don’t feel safe saying so. I hope my actions give them, and others, a bit more room to breathe.Now, I’m looking for what’s next! If you know of opportunities in Learning & Development or Program Management, especially with teams looking to do things differently, I’d love to connect.Thanks for reading. Let’s build something great together.