Tesla became the latest part of Elon Musk’s business empire to clarify that criticism of the executive chief is unacceptable by firing a manager last month after he opposed a post on social media by Mr. Musk referring to Nazi leaders.
Jared Ottmann, a manager and engineer who worked with Tesla battery suppliers, said he was fired for criticizing Mr. Musk for a post on X who used the names of Nazis like Heinrich Himmler and Hermann Göring in a series of words.
“Stop göring your enemies,” wrote Mr. Musk on January 23, adding, “bet you Nazi coming.” He shared the post with a laughing emoji laughing.
Mr. Ottmann told LinkedIn in late January that he was offended that Mr. Musk had referred to “as a joke” in the Nazis who were responsible for the genocide.
“Starting in 2022 and especially last week I have raised the issue within several times, with managers, HR, legal compliance, investor relationships,” wrote Mr. Ottmann, referring to Mr. Musk’s behavior that he considered objectionable. “And while the people who offer personal support, Tesla as a company has been silent.”
Tesla did not respond to a comment request.
Mr. Musk’s companies, which include Spacex and X, have a history of punishing opposition. In 2022, Spacex, who makes Rockets, fired nine employees who had called on the company to distance himself from Mr. Musk’s social media comments, including one in which he mocked allegations of sexual harassment against him. Some of those employees later filed unjust accusations of work practice on the National Labor Relations Board.
Mr. Ottmann’s critical remarks and Tesla’s reaction are the latest story of disruption caused by Mr. Musk’s right -wing politics. He has supported a far -right party in Germany, whose members have been fined by the government for the use of Nazi slogans. Mr. Musk’s role in the Trump administration as leader of the government efficiency department has also made him a polarizing figure.
Signs of opposition to Tesla have not been isolated for Mr. Ottmann. Last month during a meeting at Tesla’s offices in Palo Alto, Calif., Employees shared their disappointments for Mr. Musk’s political activities, making a manager say that he was also discouraged by the behavior of the chief executive.
Mr. Ottmann confirmed on Thursday that he had been fired. He refused to comment further, referring to the questions Jana Moser, a lawyer in Santa Monica, Calif. Mrs Moser did not respond to a comment request.
This fall, an employee of Spacex was fired after writing on a board of internal messages that he hoped Mr. Musk would stop the company’s clothing during his campaign appearances, said three people familiar with the incident. During an October rally on Butler, Pa., For example, Mr. Musk wore a “March Occupation” T-shirt-which Spacex sells in her company shop-while he was thrown up and down on stage.
The employee wrote that it would not be appropriate for the workers to wear political clothing in the office and, therefore, that company dress should not be worn at the campaign events. A few days after its posting, the company revoked the entry of employees into internal systems, although later resetting the employee as it determined that there were no company policies violations, people said.
The employee resigned weeks later. Spacex did not immediately respond to a comment request.
Mr. Musk also rested workers in X who criticized him. In the wake of its $ 44 billion, then called Twitter, in 2022, some employees posted billionaire criticism on the platform. Mr. Musk argued with some of them online, and they were later rested.
Fires are contrary to Mr. Musk’s often stated intention to protect free speech. He has offered to fund lawsuits against employers who fire workers because of the things they posted on X. In 2024, he funded a lawsuit for a former employee in the payment company block after she was fired for the inflammatory posts she did in an account X.
Investors in Tesla, the only public traded company that Mr Musku runs, are also concerned that his political activities are alienating some buyers and that he is spending much time in Washington and does not have enough time addressing car sales. Company shares dropped about 40 percent from a high group on December 17th.