A cabal of Tesla fans went on the attack against a highway safety appointee, with Elon Musk's encouragement. Her crime: questioning whether Tesla's self-driving technology is ready for wide release.
Tesla’s current market cap is mainly credited to its autonomous driving tech promises. Elon Musk himself said that they would turn Tesla cars into “appreciating assets” instead of goods that devaluate, as most vehicles are. Although Tesla has repeatedly failed to deliver on these promises, its shareholders hope it will get there. When they heard Missy Cummings would become a senior adviser for safety at NHTSA, they panicked.