In the midst of Elon Musk’s stock price crash for Tesla Inc. and the numerous incidents of violence against Tesla’s assets, it appears some businesses are choosing to be savvy. One of them, a cannabis store in New York City, is even planning to let people smash their Tesla car to bits as some kind of promotion.
The report and information itself came from the business owner– a woman and investor named Joanne Wilson, founder of the Gotham cannabis store in New York City (NYC). Wilson revealed in her blog recently that they tossed their Tesla away after Elon Musk tanked the car company’s reputation with his recent gestures and association with President Trump.
Joanne Wilson’s husband, however, has suggested to her that putting their discarded Tesla outside of their weed store in NYC on April 20, 2025, and letting people have their way with the car would be good for their business. The couple is even considering giving out sledgehammers to people especially for those inclined to take out their anger on the Tesla car.
“Elon pissed off his customers too, and now they all want to get rid of his car. They also have no interest in buying another because all the car industries have jumped into the electric field, as they should, at prices for a wider audience.
My partner suggested that we take our other Tesla—yes, we had two, now one—and put it in front of Gotham on 4/20. We could give out sledgehammers, let people smash the car, and film it for Instagram. It may go viral,” says Joanne Wilson.
Initially, the Tesla car was something that the coastal elite wanted in the US, which is why Joanne Wilson and her husband bought two of them. She has since switched to a Volvo and funnily enough, Volvo only offered $2,000 for their Tesla to be traded-in. Meanwhile, the fate of their second Tesla car hangs in the balance.
As of now, there’s no clear indication yet from Wilson and her business regarding the confirmation of the promotional (and political) stunt. However, there’s still plenty of time to consider what to do with the Tesla car since 4/20 is five weeks away. A lot could happen at that time, though good luck on hoping that Elon and Tesla’s reputation would turn around.
No Country for Tesla Cars
Apart from the Wilson couple, numerous people both elite and otherwise, have chosen to stay away from the Tesla brand, which caused Elon Musk’s net worth to plummet by as much as $150 billion.
Even President Donald Trump had to step in to “help” Musk, his Special Advisor, in protecting his business. That’s because some of the incidents of violence and vandalism towards Tesla Inc.’s assets involve burning charging stations and parked Tesla cars all over the US.
Trump has also recently promised to criminalize acts of violence and boycotts against Tesla cars, even going as far as to brand the acts as domestic terrorism. Supposedly, Trump will also enact this notion into a law, on Elon Musk’s behalf.
