Published , by Ozzie Mejia
Published , by Ozzie Mejia
There's a new intersection of tech and politics, which is largely to be expected of Tesla CEO and Twitter owner Elon Musk these days. The latest comes on Tuesday and fresh off Musk sharing the U.S. Department of Energy's "low confidence" report that the COVID-19 pandemic originated in a Wuhan laboratory. The Chinese Communist Party has not forgotten Musk's business ties in China and has responded to the Twitter owner's actions with a vague threat.
CNBC was the first to report on the message from the Global Times, which is the English-language edition of the People's Daily. The statement includes the phrase, "Elon Musk, are you breaking the pot of China?" This is an expression that asks, "Are you biting the hand that feeds you?"
The Chinese newspaper's apparent threat is in relation to Tesla's Shanghai factory, which is where Musk's electric vehicle company conducts much of its business. China is Tesla's second largest market, accounting for two-thirds of the company's EV sales, with a workforce that Musk has repeatedly praised. Musk recently promoted Tesla China chief Tom Zhu to run U.S. factories and sales across North America and Europe.
Musk has been outspoken on Twitter, to say the least, and his antics have already cost him advertisers in the past. However, his China deal is one that he can't afford to lose, so it remains to be seen how he will behave moving forward regarding this Energy Department report. It doesn't appear to be a story worth perpetuating, especially considering that it's a low confidence report with NBC News sources cautioning that the report's findings are not "hugely significant" in the grand scheme.
Musk has not commented publicly or on Twitter. His morning tweets have instead consisted of posting AI memes, but if there are any updates regarding this situation between Tesla and China, we'll be sure to provide any updates.