Trending Now - Tesla Influencers Depart From Community Following Discontent
WHO:
Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla
Earl Banning, psychologist in Anchorage, Alaska
Jilianne, Tesla driver in Los Angeles
Dan O’Dowd, tech billionaire and CEO of Green Hills Software
The Cybertruck Guy, a Tesla influencer on X
Omar Qazi, Tesla supporter on X
WHAT:
Tesla offered to transfer the Full Self-Driving (FSD) feature to new Tesla purchases made by March 31, 2026.
The FSD feature was previously available for a lifetime fee of up to $15,000 but is now subscription-based.
The base model Cybertruck was priced at $59,990 for a limited time of 10 days.
The entry-level Cybertruck price increased from $60,990 in November 2023 to $79,990 by early 2026.
Banning stated, “I started to at least realize that he was kind of a moron about many topics.”
Jilianne has aired over 170 hours of FSD demonstrations live on X to 16,000 followers.
O’Dowd founded the Dawn Project in 2021 to lobby against the implementation of defective software in safety-critical systems.
The Dawn Project ran ads in The New York Times and during Super Bowl broadcasts in 2023 and 2024.
WHERE:
Anchorage, Alaska (Earl Banning)
Los Angeles, California (Jilianne)
Tesla's headquarters (implied location for corporate decisions)
WHEN:
March 31, 2026 (deadline for FSD transfer)
November 2023 (initial launch of Cybertruck)
December 2022 (Banning's conversation with Musk)
2020 (Banning's first experience with FSD)
2022 (Musk's acquisition of Twitter, now X)
2024 (Jilianne's livestreaming of FSD)
WHY:
Customers expressed outrage over perceived “bait and switch” tactics by Tesla regarding FSD.
Banning and Jilianne became disillusioned with Tesla due to unfulfilled promises and Musk's political comments.
HOW:
Tesla amended the FSD transfer agreement, requiring delivery by March 31, 2026, which conflicted with production backlogs.
Banning and Jilianne documented their experiences with FSD through social media, highlighting issues with the software.
(UPDATED March 16, 2026 13:23 UTC)
Tesla has announced that it will transfer the Full Self-Driving feature to new purchases made by March 31, 2026, shifting from a lifetime fee of up to $15,000 to a subscription model. This decision comes amid customer outrage over perceived "bait and switch" tactics, with individuals like psychologist Earl Banning and Tesla driver Jilianne expressing their disillusionment with the company due to unfulfilled promises and Musk's political comments. Meanwhile, the entry-level Cybertruck price has seen a significant increase from $60,990 in November 2023 to $79,990 by early 2026, as the base model was briefly offered at $59,990 for just ten days.