Tesla Takedown is a

grassroots A grassroots movement is one that uses the people in a given district, region or community as the basis for a political or continent movement. Grassroots movements and organizations use collective action from volunteers at the local level to imp ...

protest movement A protest (also called a demonstration, remonstration, or remonstrance) is a public act of objection, disapproval or dissent against political advantage. Protests can be thought of as acts of cooperation in which numerous people cooperate ...

that arose in early 2025 targeting

Tesla, Inc. Tesla, Inc. ( or ) is an American multinational automotive and clean energy company. Headquartered in Austin, Texas, it designs, manufactures and sells battery electric vehicles (BEVs), stationary battery energy storage devices from h ...

and its CEO,

Elon Musk Elon Reeve Musk ( ; born June 28, 1971) is a businessman. He is known for his leadership of Tesla, SpaceX, X (formerly Twitter), and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Musk has been considered the wealthiest person in th ...

. Protesters have organized peaceful demonstrations at Tesla stores across the United States, Canada, Europe, and

Australasia Australasia is a subregion of Oceania, comprising Australia, New Zealand (overlapping with Polynesia), and sometimes including New Guinea and surrounding islands (overlapping with Melanesia). The term is used in a number of different context ...

. The movement urges the public to divest from Tesla by selling their vehicles and shares of Tesla stock, with the goal to economically impact Musk and challenge his political influence peacefully.

Purpose

Activist Valerie Costa stated the movement's intentions as "to make a strong public stand against the

tech oligarchy Broligarchy is a neologism and portmanteau combining oligarchy and Bro culture, broism describing the rule of government by a coterie of Ultra-rich, extremely wealthy men (occupying leadership roles in the Technology company, tech companies and t ...

behind the Trump administration's cruel and illegal actions, and to encourage Americans to sell their Teslas and dump the company's stock." Actor and filmmaker

Alex Winter Alexander Winter (born 1965) is a British-born American actor and filmmaker. As an actor, he is best known for playing Bill S. Preston, Esq., in the 1989 film '' Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure'' and its sequels '' Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey' ...

characterized Tesla Takedown as anti-Elon Musk instead of the company itself, with Musk being its "toxic figurehead".

Background

The movement arose in response to Musk's involvement in US president

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...

's administration, which includes Musk's leadership in the

Department of Government Efficiency The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) is an initiative by the second Trump administration within the federal government of the United States. Its stated objective is to modernize information technology, maximize productivity, and cut ...

(DOGE) to carry out Trump's agenda of federal spending cuts and deregulation, and, according to the order that established it, to "modernize federal technology and software to maximize governmental efficiency and productivity". Musk was a key role in facilitating the

2025 United States federal mass layoffs More than 275,000 United States federal civil service layoffs have been announced by the second Trump administration. , the New York Times tracked more than 58,000 confirmed cuts, more than 76,000 employee buyouts, and more than 149,000 other ...

. Musk was a

senior advisor to the President Senior Advisor to the President is a title used by high-ranking political advisors to the president of the United States. Senior advisors to the president do not have formal government decision making authority, but they can have significant infl ...

during his tenure.

Mobilization

United States

Early protests got the attention of online activists, including Alex Winter. Winter started amplifying the protests and related discussions on

Bluesky Bluesky is a microblogging social media social networking service, service. Users can share short posts containing text, images, and videos. It is owned by Bluesky Social PBC, a benefit corporation based in the United States. Bluesky was dev ...

after speaking with sociologist Joan Donovan. Efforts for subsequent rounds of protests were coordinated via the social media hashtags #TeslaTakedown and #TeslaTakover. On February 15, one of the larger protests happened outside a Tesla showroom in New York City, where protestors could be heard chanting "Elon Musk can go to Mars; we don't need your Nazi cars" referring to the

Elon Musk salute controversy On January 20, 2025, while speaking at a rally celebrating U.S. president Donald Trump's second inauguration, businessman and political figure Elon Musk twice made a salute interpreted by many as a Nazi or a fascist Roman salute. It was ...

and Musk's support for

Alternative for Germany Alternative for Germany (, AfD, ) is a Far-right politics in Germany (1945–present), far-right,Far-right: * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Right-wing populism, right-wing populist and National conservatism, national-conservative p ...

and "Burn a Tesla: Save Democracy". Protests also took place in

San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

Berkeley Berkeley most often refers to: *Berkeley, California, a city in the United States **University of California, Berkeley, a public university in Berkeley, California *George Berkeley (1685–1753), Anglo-Irish philosopher Berkeley may also refer to ...

Minneapolis Minneapolis is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 429,954 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the state's List of cities in Minnesota, most populous city. Locat ...

, and

Kansas City The Kansas City metropolitan area is a bi-state metropolitan area anchored by Kansas City, Missouri. Its 14 counties straddle the border between the U.S. states of Missouri (9 counties) and Kansas (5 counties). With and a population of more t ...

among others. Musician

Sheryl Crow Sheryl Suzanne Crow (born February 11, 1962) is an American singer-songwriter, musician, and actress. She is noted for her Optimism, optimistic and Idealism, idealistic subject matter, and incorporation of genres including Rock music, rock, Po ...

posted to social media a video showing a flatbed truck removing a Tesla she had sold in protest. Hundreds appeared at a San Francisco showroom on February 19. Workers included Hai Binh Nguyen, who lamented the halting of her work at the

Consumer Financial Protection Bureau The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) is an independent agency of the United States government responsible for consumer protection in the financial sector. CFPB's jurisdiction includes banks, credit unions, securities firms, Payday lo ...

where she takes action against unfair business practices. Protestors also expressed concerns that government services would be privatized and sold off to billionaires. At an early March protest in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

, nine individuals were arrested during a demonstration at a Tesla store. Hundreds protested outside a store in

Owings Mills Owings Mills is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in Baltimore County, Maryland, United States. It is a suburb of Baltimore. Per the 2020 census, the population was 35,674. Owings Mills is home to the northern terminus o ...

, Maryland. A protest occurred in

Superior Superior may refer to: *Superior (hierarchy), something which is higher in a hierarchical structure of any kind Places * Superior (proposed U.S. state), an unsuccessful proposal for the Upper Peninsula of Michigan to form a separate state *Lak ...

, Colorado. Similar protests occurred in cities like

Jacksonville, Florida Jacksonville ( ) is the most populous city proper in the U.S. state of Florida, located on the Atlantic coast of North Florida, northeastern Florida. It is the county seat of Duval County, Florida, Duval County, with which the City of Jacksonv ...

, and in

Tucson, Arizona Tucson (; ; ) is a city in Pima County, Arizona, United States, and its county seat. It is the second-most populous city in Arizona, behind Phoenix, Arizona, Phoenix, with a population of 542,630 in the 2020 United States census. The Tucson ...

, their numbers grew to nearly 1,800 protesters where participants carried signs with slogans such as "Democracy Unites US". On March 16, around 100 protesters gathered at a Tesla service center in

Stamford, Connecticut Stamford () is a city in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States, outside of New York City. It is the sixth-most populous city in New England. Stamford is also the largest city in the Western Connecticut Planning Region, Connecticut, Weste ...

at a protest that was organized by the actor and comedian, Mary Beth Barone. Many protesters voiced their support for Senator

Chris Murphy Christopher Scott Murphy (born August 3, 1973) is an American lawyer, author, and politician serving as the junior United States senator from the state of Connecticut since 2013. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served in the U ...

. On March 20, the group held a livestream event with guests including actor

John Cusack John Paul Cusack ( ; born June 28, 1966)(28 June 1996)Today's birthdays ''Santa Cruz Sentinel'', ("Actors John Cusack is 30") is an American actor. With a career spanning over four decades, he has appeared in over 80 films. He began acting in f ...

and Representative

Jasmine Crockett Jasmine Felicia Crockett (born March 29, 1981) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the U.S. representative for Texas's 30th congressional district since 2023. She is a member of the Democratic Party. In the 118th Congress, Crockett ...

. During the meeting, a "day of action" was announced for March 29, with protests planned at all US showrooms, and at other Tesla sites around the world. On March 29, thousands of people attended protests at Tesla locations. Tesla Takedown said that protests had occurred in over 250 cities around the world. In particular, 100 protesters gathered at a Tesla store in Georgetown, Washington D.C, for a dance party where people danced to

disco Disco is a music genre, genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the late 1960s from the United States' urban nightclub, nightlife, particularly in African Americans, African-American, Italian-Americans, Italian-American, LGBTQ ...

music and held anti-Musk signs. Elsewhere, a few dozen protesters gathered outside a Tesla store in

Dublin, California Dublin is a suburban city of the East Bay in California, United States. It is located within the Amador Valley of Alameda County, California, Alameda County's Tri-Valley region. It is located along the north side of Interstate 580 (California), ...

. A few counter-protesters were seen on the other side of the street. Protests continued through April and May, even after Musk officially left his advisory position in the Trump administration. In June 2025, organizers announced their Musk Must Fall protests, planned for cities across the country on Musk's birthday. In response to Tesla's plans to test its robotaxi service, the Tesla Takedown Austin, Texas group hosted a demonstration with The Dawn Project highlighting the safety concerns associated with the

Tesla Autopilot Tesla Autopilot is an advanced driver-assistance system (ADAS) developed by Tesla, Inc. that provides partial vehicle automation, corresponding to Level 2 automation as defined by SAE International. All Tesla vehicles produced after April 2019 ...

capabilities.

Other countries

On March 29, protesters gathered at Tesla stores in several countries:

Metro Vancouver The Metro Vancouver Regional District (MVRD), or simply Metro Vancouver, is a Canadian political subdivision and Corporation, corporate entity representing the metropolitan area of Greater Vancouver, designated by provincial legislation as o ...

, Canada;

Cribbs Causeway Cribbs Causeway is both a road in South Gloucestershire, England, running north of the city of Bristol, and the adjacent area which is notable for its Out-of-town shopping centres in the United Kingdom, out-of-town shopping and leisure facilitie ...

, Bristol, England;

Edinburgh Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...

, Scotland;

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

, England;

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

, Germany; New Zealand; Australia;

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...

;

Finland Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, ...

;

Denmark Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...

;

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

;

Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...

; the

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

; and

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

. Counter protesters attended the Vancouver event.

Other anti-Tesla protests

In mid-February it was reported that Tesla owners were selling their vehicles in protest, with 31% of polled Tesla drivers saying that Musk's actions had led to them selling or considering selling their car. On March 14, Senator

Mark Kelly Mark Edward Kelly (born February 21, 1964) is an American politician, retired astronaut, and former United States Navy, naval officer serving as the Seniority in the United States Senate, senior United States senator from Arizona, a seat he ha ...

posted a video on Twitter stating that he would also be selling his Tesla due to his opinion of Musk. One person was arrested after a

Molotov cocktail A Molotov cocktail (among several other names – ''see '') is a hand-thrown incendiary weapon consisting of a frangible container filled with flammable substances and equipped with a Fuse (explosives), fuse (typically a glass bottle filled wit ...

was thrown at a Tesla store in

Loveland, Colorado Loveland is a List of cities and towns in Colorado#Home rule municipality, home rule municipality and the List of cities and towns in Colorado, second most populous municipality in Larimer County, Colorado, United States. Loveland is situated n ...

, on March 7. A second person had been charged with vandalizing the same store earlier in the month, though police said the incidents appeared to be unrelated to one another. On March 22, a chapter of Indivisible organized a protest outside a Tesla store in

Milford, Connecticut Milford is a coastal city in New Haven County, Connecticut, United States, between New Haven, Connecticut, New Haven and Bridgeport, Connecticut, Bridgeport. The population was 50,558 at the 2020 United States Census. The city includes the Vill ...

; around 300 people were seen at it. Senator

Richard Blumenthal Richard Blumenthal ( ; born February 13, 1946) is an American politician, lawyer, and United States Marine Corps, Marine Corps veteran serving as the Seniority in the United States Senate, senior United States Senate, United States senator from ...

spoke at the protest, asking them to continue and praising Senator

Chuck Schumer Charles Ellis Schumer ( ; born November 23, 1950) is an American politician serving as the Seniority in the United States Senate, senior United States Senate, United States senator from New York (state), New York, a seat he has held since 1999. ...

Response

Musk responded to the protests with an X post on March 9 accusing Valerie Costa of "committing crimes", which led to harassment of the activist. On March 11 Donald Trump arranged a promotional press briefing in front of the

White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest (Washington, D.C.), NW in Washington, D.C., it has served as the residence of every U.S. president ...

, featuring a number of Tesla vehicles and Musk, stating he would buy a Tesla. Trump also said he would classify people who vandalize Tesla cars or trucks as domestic terrorists. Trump has previously expressed strong opposition to electric vehicles; in September 2023, speaking at Drake Enterprises in Michigan, Trump had claimed EVs would "spell the death of the US auto industry" and stated "I'm not a person that wants to go all electric, I think it's going to be very bad for the country." Musk and supporters have alleged that Tesla Takedown protesters are being paid to participate, though no evidence has been provided in support of the claims. Public Radio Tulsa reported that a local man offered to "compensate people who showed up as counter-protesters", although no one reported being paid. Fox News host

Sean Hannity Sean Patrick Hannity (born December 30, 1961) is an American conservative television presenter, broadcaster and writer. He hosts ''The Sean Hannity Show'', a radio syndication, nationally syndicated talk radio show, has hosted a Hannity, sel ...

said on March 10 that he would be buying a

Tesla Model S The Tesla Model S is a battery-electric, four-door full-size car produced by the American automaker Tesla since 2012. The automaker's second vehicle and longest-produced model, the Model S has both received mixed reviews from critics and a ...

, and that he would run a

sweepstake In the United States, a sweepstake is a type of contest where a prize or prizes may be awarded to a winner or winners. Sweepstakes began as a form of lottery that were tied to products sold. In response, the FCC and FTC refined U.S. broadcast ...

where people could win a Tesla vehicle.

References

External links

*
TeslaTakedown hashtag
on Bluesky {{United States Department of Government Efficiency, state=autocollapse 2025 protests Boycotts of organizations Elon Musk February 2025 in the United States Protests in the United States Tesla, Inc. Protests against the second presidency of Donald Trump