Tesla Model 3 owners may be in love with their cars, but that doesn’t appear to be the case for Tesla CEO Elon Musk.
A new survey of more than 400 Tesla Model 3 owners reveals stark changes in opinion about the billionaire tech mogul. While Musk has earned considerable admiration for his ambitious engineering and production efforts, the survey suggests that some owners’ patience with the CEO is wearing thin.
The survey of Model 3 owners found that 73% of respondents had either a positive or neutral opinion of Musk in 2018 — but by 2020 that figure had dropped to just 40%.
At the same time, the survey found that owners’ satisfaction with their Model 3s remained quite high, with 98% of respondents reporting that they were satisfied or very satisfied with their cars.
So, why the change in sentiment towards Musk? Respondents suggested that the most common reasons were delays in production, quality control issues, and Musk’s often-vocal stance on social media.
Musk’s tendency to defend Tesla from criticism and to confront news reporters and other negative elements in the press are another factor in the cooling of public sentiment.
The survey also found that Tesla owners are increasingly disgruntled with the editing help that Musk receives from the Tesla communications team. This includes editing and grammar assistance, as well as suggestions for content that is perceived as more polished, more diplomatic, and more media-friendly.
To date, Tesla has maintained an impressive level of customer satisfaction, although recent metrics from the Consumer Reports auto survey put it at 10th in the rankings.
Ultimately, this survey should serve as a reminder that Elon Musk is a human being — and as a result, he is not immune from criticism. While Tesla owners remain largely supportive and satisfied with their vehicles, they increasingly appear to have grown tired of Musk’s larger-than-life persona.