Elon Musk is reportedly reaching out to other CEOs for help in finding their employees who might be talking trash about his company on Twitter.
A report from The Wall Street Journal claimed that Musk frequently monitors the social media site for any tweets criticizing his company Tesla, and the tech magnate himself has admitted to trying to find who is behind the slams.
As Business Insider reported, Musk himself has said that he’s reached out to other CEOs for help in finding out who is behind the criticism.
“Musk told The Journal that in July he emailed Volkswagen CEO Herbert Diess and asked if one of his employees was using Twitter to criticize Tesla under a false name. A Tesla representative told Business Insider that Volkswagen determined the employee’s brother was behind the tweets.”
Elon Musk is known for his low tolerance to criticism, both about his company and his personal endeavors. Earlier this summer, he offered his company’s expertise in helping rescue a group of Thai boys who became stuck in a cave after a rainstorm blocked off their exit but ended up in a spat with one of the rescuers.
Musk tried to design a small submarine that could take the boys through flooded parts of the cave, but a British diver criticized the idea. Musk responded by calling the man a “pedo,” before apologizing for the attack. But weeks later, Musk continued his attack on the diver.
Elon Musk has been one of the most active CEOs when it comes to Twitter. As Business Insider noted, he shares updates from the company and uses the platform to make announcements, but also frequently engages with critics.
Gene Munster, a managing partner at the venture capital firm Loup Ventures, told Business Insider that the increasing attacks against critics are starting to worry Tesla’s investors.
“I’ve directly talked with investors who are believers in the story, but now are talking about his behavior and feeling uncomfortable about that,” he said.
Musk has even garnered comparisons to Donald Trump, who turned the Twitter attack into a major campaign strategy in 2016 and has continued to use the platform to assail his critics since taking office.
Elon Musk is back to his old Twitter outbursts https://t.co/2klTHEjsQz
— The Hive (@VFHIVE) September 2, 2018
The attacks have sometimes had an effect on the company, Business Insider noted. In April, Elon Musk mocked analysts who questioned the company’s long-term financial health, and Tesla’s stock suffered as a result. It dropped more than 5 percent in the wake of the attack and the bad press it brought for Musk.
