Accusing Musk of being "anti-Semitic," a Tesla shareholder proposed that the board suspend him
According to a report by CNN on the 20th, a shareholder of Tesla, an American electric vehicle company, proposed that the company's board of directors should suspend its chief executive officer (CEO) Musk from his position, citing that he had previously supported "anti-Semitic" views on social platforms.
Screenshot of CNN report
Jerry Braakman, president of First American Trust, said he wanted Tesla's board of directors to send a clear message that Musk's endorsement of an "anti-Semitic" post on social platform X last week went too far, claiming that "Jews are inciting hatred against white people."
CNN reported that Disney, NBCUniversal, Warner Bros. Discovery and many other advertisers announced on the 17th that they would suspend advertising on Musk's social platform X. The companies did not explicitly say that the move was related to Musk's alleged endorsement of "anti-Semitic" posts. But before that, American Media Affairs, a left-wing nonprofit organization, said it had found that ads placed by multiple companies on X were presented alongside "anti-Semitic" posts.
In response, Brackman said in a statement, "I believe in free speech, but there is no reason for the CEO of a public company to spread hate." He believes that Tesla's board of directors should give Musk a 30 to 60-day leave and ask him to undergo empathy training or therapy.
Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, a professor at the Yale School of Management, agrees that Tesla's board of directors should hold Musk accountable. In an interview with CNN on the 20th, he said: "The board of directors has a responsibility to act. He should not be allowed to use the title of CEO. Immediate suspension should be given. ”
Neither Tesla Inc. nor its chairman, Robin Dehome, responded to requests for comment, CNN said.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk Source: Visual China
According to the report, Musk, as one of the co-founders, has huge influence over Tesla, and he is not only regarded as the most important person in the company, but also a member of its board of directors and the largest individual shareholder. At the end of March, Musk owned nearly 13% of Tesla's shares, totaling 411 million shares, which are currently worth about $96 billion. By comparison, First America, the parent company of First America Trust, held a very small 16,000 shares at the end of September.
Tesla's board of directors is led by Deholm and includes James Murdoch, the second son of media tycoon Murdoch, venture capitalist Ira Ellen Preses, Musk's younger brother Kimbal, and Musk himself. Brackman admits that "only his board can hold him accountable, and he has a lot of friends there." ”
Nell Minow, another Tesla shareholder, said the board should hire a company to assess the impact of Musk's "bad behavior" on the company's brand. Mino also said she was "not confident" that the board would be willing to meaningfully hold the chief executive accountable.
"The Board has good reasons for removing him as CEO. But can they do it? Do they have the courage to do it? The answer is no," Minnow told CNN, "and I, as a Jew, worry about both his instability and his anti-Semitism." ”
On the other hand, some prominent American business leaders have voiced their support for Musk, such as hedge fund billionaire Bill Ackman, who has been critical of the way Harvard and other U.S. universities have handled antisemitism on campus. He said over the weekend that Musk himself was "not an anti-Semite." Ackerman posted on social platform X, "It's worth noting that the outside world is quickly ready to attack Musk's hasty comments." Musk isn't perfect, but the world is a better place because of him. ”