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Protesters want to impact the controversial head of the DOGE and CEO of Tesla, Elon Musk. To get the job done, the demonstrators are getting daring with dairy. They’ve taken to plastering Tesla electric vehicles (EVs) with slices of cheese in an attempt to tarnish the brand’s reputation and hit Musk in the wallet. 

Tesla protesters want the brand’s owners to stand alone– just like the cheese

Austin, Texas is a big deal for Elon Musk. The South African businessman owns property there. However, more impactfully, Tesla operates its massive, 10 million square-foot Giga Texas factory just down the road from the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport. However, even with the automaker’s sizable Texas presence, protesting Austinites reject it like a bad organ transplant.

Specifically, protestors have taken to slapping slices of cheese on Tesla EVs. But they’re not protesting some defect or the Cybertruck’s challenging aesthetic. No, they’re protesting Elon Musk himself. Musk currently serves as a head in the government’s newly-minted Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), a cost-cutting initiative so hell-bent on reducing spending that it prompted the en masse firings of federal employees.

What’s more, many of Musk’s critics consider him to be a “facist, racist, misogynist, and criminal,” per a manifesto from the student organization “Students Against Nazi Extremism” (SANE). SANE recently posted threatening notes on California Tesla owners’ vehicles threatening to vandalize the EVs.

Granted, slapping some cheese on the paintwork isn’t quite the same as smashing a windshield with a brick. However, even something as innocuous as a few slices of cheese can cause damage if left on a hot car for too long. 

The protests might be working

Despite a difference in tactics, SANE and the cheese-throwing Austinites have something in common. They would both like to stigmatize Tesla ownership and in doing so, hurt Musk’s bottom line. Frankly, it might be working. According to the Washington Post, some owners are selling or trading their EVs, citing the brand’s “irretrievably damaged” image.

One dissatisfied owner went as far as to say they “would not associate with that brand again, period.” Still, a damaged brand identity might not be enough to dissuade the chronically outspoken CEO.

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Erik Sherman

Erik Sherman is a MotorBiscuit Staff Writer, an admitted petrolhead, and an avid motorcyclist. Erik also has extensive experience with military and emergency vehicles, ranging from ambulances and fire engines to MRAPs and Humvees. Erik is an eager car and motorcycle reviewer with expertise covering everything from sports cars and electric motorcycles to pontoon boats and jet skis. Erik holds a Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Texas at Austin. He also studied Chinese, Energy, and European Politics at the University of Glasgow in Scotland. Erik’s background is unorthodox; he is a United States Marine Corps (USMC) combat veteran, water survival practitioner, and a former firefighter/EMT. Additionally, Erik is a regular volunteer and former instructor with the American Red Cross (ARC). When he’s not working, you can find Erik on his motorcycle or out for a spirited drive.