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Tesla CEO Elon Musk has received criticism after one former employee claims they were fired from the electric vehicle manufacturer following a LinkedIn post that pushed back against a Nazi-related joke post from its owner.
While it's typically Elon Musk's own posts that end up getting him in trouble, in this particular instance it's how he has reacted to another's response that many have found issue with.
Musk remains quick to criticise others on social media when he sees fit, targeting television shows like SNL, multiple major news publications, and even the infamous hacking group Anonymous if he believes that they've spoken out of turn.
He's also a self-professed defender of free speech principles - one of the key reasons why he purchased Twitter, now X, for $44 billion - declaring in the past that "free speech is meaningless unless you allow people you don't like to say things you don't like, otherwise it's irrelevant."
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Recent actions appear to have breached these ideals though, as one now-former Tesla employee has detailed how they were fired from the company for posting a dissenting view of Musk, as reported by The New York Times.
Jared Ottmann was previously a manager and engineer working with Tesla's battery suppliers, and he outlined his opposition and distaste for Musk's use of Nazi references in a 'joke' post on X.
Musk employed puns involving the names of key Nazi figures such as Joseph Goebbels, Heinrich Himmler, and Hermann Göring, adding: "Bet you did nazi that coming [laughing emoji]."
Don’t say Hess to Nazi accusations!
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 23, 2025
Some people will Goebbels anything down!
Stop Gőring your enemies!
His pronouns would’ve been He/Himmler!
Bet you did nazi that coming 😂
Ottmann wrote in response: "Well, we have seen it coming. Elon's behavior, whatever the underlying motivations, are well documented.
"Starting in 2022 and especially the last week I've raised the issue internally multiple times, with managers, HR, legal compliance, investor relations. And while overwhelmingly people offer support, Tesla as a company has remained silent."
He then continued to outline that "this post by Tesla's current CEO name drops genocidal a**holes as a joke and has 308,000 likes," adding that "the silence from Tesla is deafening."
Ottmann then confirmed last Thursday, February 27, that he had been fired from the company, although he has not offered any further statement in reference to his dismissal.
Both Musk's post on X and Ottmann's firing come at a time when the Tesla CEO is under heavy fire for his far right political leanings.
Not only has been been criticized for his new role as head of the Department of Government Efficiency, but he controversially appeared to use a Nazi salute at the presidential inauguration, although he has since denied this.
On top of this, Musk has retained strong support for far right German political party AfD, who themselves have been fined for using Nazi slogans, leading the tech mogul to be criticized by the head of a concentration camp memorial.
This is far from the first time that Musk has been accused of firing employees with dissenting beliefs, and it continues for many to challenge his maintained stance as a 'defender' of free speech and First Amendment principles.
