There are many odd/interesting/unique things CEO's can do, Musk has done many of them, mostly positive - this is definitely not one of them.
Given all of the negative vibe out there about erratic behaviour, making false statements on Twitter that literally put him under investigation by the SEC - this is just bad.
It adds to the narrative that something is really wrong and he's not listening to more responsible people around him.
Sending a Tesla on a rocket to Mars was a very expensive PR stunt that was 'out there' but frankly was probably worth it. It's aspirational, quirky, got tons of press coverage.
There are some that suggest he's actually trying to get the boot, I can't imagine why though.
It's just a bad bit of PR from a guy who's usually on point.
It's more than that. Journalists hate Elon Musk because he called them out a few months ago.
The same media outlets ranting and raving about how terrible our marijuana/drug laws are and how we need to legalize them are whining about musk smoking weed in california ( where it is legal BTW ).
It's just your routine biased hit piece by the media.
Drinking whiskey is not a federal crime. Smoking pot is.
https://www.legalmatch.com/law-library/article/federal-marij...
I'm pretty sure the federal government will do nothing about this, as the resource implications, political will, and the reaction from other business leaders who will look on skeptically at the governments actions over what has already been deemed to many as a victimless crime (with regards to the actual possession).
But it's apparently too sophisticated a point for the article, which is pure clickbait.
They would've used a chunk of lead to test the payload capacity, instead Musk sent his car. It didn't cost them anything it otherwise would've to prove Falcon Heavy's lift capacity. It was free PR.
Source? A lot of people invest in growth stocks, and really don't care about corporate missions. TSLA is held in some mainstream funds (https://www.investopedia.com/articles/investing/090215/4-mut...) which sends some strong signals to traditional investors.
Losing money, it's okay because Tesla is a tech company.
Fail at core parts of a car manufacturing business, it's okay because Tesla is a tech company.
Call a pedophile, then triple down on it and... actually no that's just okay. Hope he loses that lawsuit.
Anyone who believes that Tesla is going to be an industrial titan (not me personally) will appreciate the stock discount.