Aahna Chauhan Protestors stand in front of the Tesla showroom in Los Gatos holding signs. “These protests are an opportunity to hold people like Elon Musk accountable,” said George Hoffman, an organizer of the protest. Protesters are rallying outside Tesla showrooms in Los Gatos on a weekly basis, following their dissatisfaction with Elon Musk. The “No Trillionaires” protest is one of many demonstrations organized by Indivisible Los Gatos criticizing Tesla CEO Elon Musk. It is part of a larger movement referred to as the “Tesla Takedown,” with the goal of the protests being to raise awareness about the perceived political and financial overreach of Musk. According to protest organizer George Hoffman, the key focus of the demonstrations is to draw attention to how Tesla operates as a company and serves as the foundation of Elon Musk’s wealth. “Our goal is to defund Musk,” Hoffman said. “We want to make sure that our country cannot be controlled by a small group of immensely wealthy people, which is what we are seeing happen with Tesla.” According to the Associated Press, Musk’s earlier involvement with the Trump administration involved various attempts to reform aspects of the government, resulting in political pushback. “I am here because we need to make sure that Donald Trump and his administration don’t sell our government to billionaires. Our government has been cutting down social programs to lower taxes for the richest Americans,” said protestor Sylvie Hurat. Some believe, however, that Musk’s reputation enhances Tesla’s publicity. “I think the company gains more than they lose from Musk’s reputation. What is Tesla without Musk?” said Narin Sombat*, a former employee of Tesla. “Musk is a celebrity CEO, so his reputation is closely tied to that of the company’s.” Amidst protesters, loud music, and satirical inflatables criticizing Musk, demonstrators carried various signs urging action against Musk and the Trump administration. “My sign calls for the government to stop giving our taxes to billionaires,” Hurat said. “A large percentage of Trump’s cabinet is made up of billionaires.” In addition to the many sounds of the protest, horns could be heard as cars driving by the Tesla showroom honked in support of the demonstrators. Protesters and organizers of “Tesla Takedown” events, such as this one, hope to see change as a result of their continued demonstrations in the future. “This protest is part of a nationwide movement, and these protests happen all across the country every week,” Hoffman said. “Our goal is to take Tesla and Musk down. We see these protests as a way to express ourselves consistently.” *This source’s name has been changed to protect them from loss of employment. For more information on Carlmont Media’s anonymous sourcing, view Scot Scoop’s Anonymous Sourcing Policy. View Story Comments