Elon Musk Called Lockdown ‘Fascist’ & Purposely Drove Down the Stock Price of Tesla

Some people are showing their true colours during the pandemic.

Your friend Ah Hock who seemed like a rational individual before, now continues to eat Wanton Mee at the coffee shop every day despite being fined several times.

Malaysia’s Health Minister, who was presumably appointed to the position because he had the necessary credentials, said that drinking warm water can help prevent contracting the Covid-19 virus.

And now the man who everyone loved because he promised to take us to Mars, is saying some batsh*t crazy things.

Elon Musk Called Lockdown ‘Fascist’ 

Stay-at-home orders are “fascist” and “not democratic,” says Tesla CEO Elon Musk.

Musk was speaking at a Tesla earnings conference call, and while people were expecting to hear talk about gross margins and average selling prices, Musk took this opportunity to voice his displeasure over the stay-at-home orders in the US.

“It’s breaking people’s freedoms in ways that are horrible and wrong and not why they came to America or built this country,” Musk said.

“If somebody wants to stay in their house that’s great, they should be allowed to stay in their house, they should not be compelled to leave, but to say that they cannot leave their house and they will be arrested if they do, this is fascist,” Musk added. “This is not Democratic. This is not freedom. Give people back their goddamn freedom.”

Yes, how dare the US government care about its citizens and implement measures to reduce the number of deaths? If that isn’t fascism then I don’t know what is.

But that’s not all he did.

Purposely Drove Down the Stock Price of Tesla

Musk also wiped US$13 billion off Tesla’s shares by tweeting that his electric car company’s “stock price is too high”.

Tesla stock price is too high imo

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 1, 2020

He then claimed he was selling all his physical possessions.

I am selling almost all physical possessions. Will own no house.

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 1, 2020

In other words, he purposely drove down the stock price of his company.

According to Market Watch, Tesla’s shares fell 10%, and many who invested in the company were outraged with how his thoughtless comments cost them thousands of dollars.

Elon, I am a Tesla supporter, owner, and investor.
I bought into your earnings report, and purchased a large number of shares at or near the peak price.
Now I have lost almost $25K since then.
Your thoughtless comment has materially impacted me.
I trusted you with my retirement.

— 1ISOtruth (@1ISOtruth) May 1, 2020

Dude…I just lost $10k because of this tweet. Wtf is wrong with u

— Elvis (@TradeLikeElvis) May 1, 2020

Urged Government to “Free America” In Series of Tweets

Earlier in the week, the Tesla CEO urged the country to free its citizens from the stay-at-home orders in a series of tweets.

FREE AMERICA NOW

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 29, 2020

Now give people back their FREEDOM

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 1, 2020

O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 1, 2020

I earlier joked that some Singaporeans were acting as if they were being imprisoned because they continued to go out and flout safe distancing rules during the circuit breaker.

But this guy actually believes that the American people are being imprisoned in their homes.

And the scary thing is that many Americans agree with him.

Protests & Freedom

Two weeks ago, you may remember reading about Americans in different states protesting the stay-at-home orders imposed on them.

Well, they’re doing it again, only now it may have forced a governor to ease some restrictions.

According to The Guardian, California’s governor, Gavin Newsom, promised “meaningful” adjustments to stay-at-home orders in the coming days after thousands of protesters gathered across the state to protest the lockdown.

“I served in the army and fought tyrants and dictators overseas and this has gone too far,” one protester told the Los Angeles Times. “I didn’t do that to come back here and live under a tyrant in my own country.”

Many Americans think of their freedom as the most important thing in the world, so even if going out will increase the chances of getting a deadly disease, they still want the right to do it.

So, maybe Musk is just like these protestors and is calling for an end to lockdowns across the country because he believes in the notion of freedom?

Some aren’t too convinced.

Lockdowns Are Bad For Business

Many netizens feel that these series of tweets about freedom by Musk are less about his essential rights and more about him making money.

pic.twitter.com/5zCSgrDgZj

— Sarah McGonagall (@sarahmcgphoto) April 29, 2020

I know you are eager to get people back to making overpriced model 3's but it's factory workers that will die, not you

So…relax, this isn't about you

— random thoughts (@musings_n) April 30, 2020

Dude… I'm from Spain, if the president gives me "freedom" now, he's sending me to work in a garden-center, get infected and kill my grandmother, who's already with a ventilator. You used to look like the only big businessman who cares about the human race. What happens w u?

— Dante Master Shaolin (@DanteDincht) May 1, 2020

While Elon Musk certainly is a good businessman, he isn’t an expert on either democracy or epidemiology, as Barrons reported.

Amusingly, many netizens have pointed out that in 2017, Musk quoted Mustafa Kemal Atatürk on Twitter, saying “If one day, my words are against science, choose science.”

"If one day, my words are against science, choose science."
Mustafa Kemal Atatürk

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 9, 2017

I do hope you take humans to Mars one day, Mr Musk, but for now, as you advised, I’ll avoid listening to you and stick with science.