Ask HN: Why are Teslas seen as political while Macs are not?
Many liberals feel embarrassed driving their Teslas, but conservatives seem comfortable using their Macs in public.
But... very very few of those companies are led by an outspoken unfiltered CEO with their own social media. Even Zucky doesn't go way out of his way to broadcast his political agenda on his social media platforms. Musk is unique in that way. And Musk has also flip-flopped somewhat, from being somewhat liberal (though barely) in the past to being burned by California politics and then shifting ultra-right these days. So people who bought their Tesla thinking he was a liberal or at least neutral, well, they're stuck with their cars even after Musk changed his tune.
The last relevant characterization some of us have seen is "Oh, must be an architect". Probably pretty dated.
Both purchases are still a political statement, but their constitutent markets are oftentimes too dumb to even understand what statement they're making with it. Liberals get sucked into counterproductive marketing schemes when they see silhouettes dancing to Mariah Carey - conservatives whip out their wallets when you use social media to espouse centuries-old disproven rhetoric as gospel. Both of these consumer bases are so profoundly stupid that their own insecurity is a direct byproduct of not using common sense when spending money.
If they weren't vulnerable to simple marketing, Americans might actually think about what they buy. Thankfully for the marketers, original thought in America has been getting phased out since the 1960s.
Note that Apple being a political lightning rod is news to me though.
But don't just stop there. Look at all the other times Apple refused liberal reform, with the DMA, DSA, DOJ suit, Corellium's suit, Apple v. Epic, the union-busting action, sensitive content moderation, tax-dodging in Ireland and client-side-scanning... Apple cannot guarantee you anything as an institution because they fundamentally value nothing higher than profits.
> Note that Apple being a political lightning rod is news to me though.
They've been that way since Foxconn put up complimentary suicide nets for the workers on the Apple line. People turn the other cheek because, again, Apple invests heavily in a rosy marketing attitude that belies the mistreatment of their employees and developers.
When Elon complains about European antitrust intervention, he's hilariously out-of-touch and embarrassing himself. When Tim Cook complains about European antitrust intervention, he's making a serious and informed plea to lawmakers and citizens that must be respected because he knows best. Two flavors, same conservative medicine.
Also, like, Cook isn't notably left-wing. If he was a loud Marxist (which would be weird for the CEO of a large company, but whatever), you might find that attitudes would be a little different.
I don't know if it's really widespread. But I know that I was planning to buy a Tesla, and now I'm not.