Subtitle: Outrageous! Let’s break this down: When tech hate turns into personal harassment

I drive a Cybertruck. I love it. I’m a lifelong tech guy, I’ve been in the industry for over 40 years, and I appreciate innovation when I see it. The Cybertruck—especially the Cyberbeast—is one of the most advanced, versatile vehicles in the world. Drive-by-wire. Rear-wheel steering. Utility that rivals a pickup with the agility of a sports car.

But lately, owning one feels like walking around with a target on my back.

People don’t just dislike the Cybertruck. They despise it. And by extension, they despise anyone who drives it. It’s not about the vehicle anymore. It’s about who they assume you are.

Let me paint a picture.

My Cybertruck was spit on in a parking garage. Not just any garage—one that also stores over 200 unsold Tesla vehicles from a local dealership. Elon Musk’s company still technically owns those cars. But no one spit on those. Just mine. A private, customer-owned vehicle.

I’ve been:

• Flipped off countless times by random people on the road
• Shouted at with hate speech
• Vandalized, including someone scratching the vinyl wrap on my door
• Judged openly—with people standing around my parked truck saying how horrible the owner must be

And here’s the kicker: one of those times, I walked up to my truck holding my toddler. My wife was with me. The group that had been trash-talking the truck froze when they realized I was the owner. I didn’t yell. I didn’t fight. I just told them what I loved about the truck.

Within a minute, they softened. They realized I wasn’t the caricature they had in their heads. I wasn’t some Elon-worshiping, right-wing extremist. I was a guy who loved cutting-edge tech and was holding his baby. A regular human being.

So what’s really going on here?

Let’s break this down:

• The Cybertruck is polarizing by design. Its look is radical. Its presence is loud. People project their feelings about Elon Musk onto it, and by extension, onto the driver.
• Elon has become a cultural flashpoint. Whether it’s political tweets, support for DOGE, or comments on everything from AI to immigration, he’s built a public image that people either admire—or absolutely reject.
• Cybertruck drivers are now caught in the crossfire. People assume that if you own one, you must agree with everything Elon Musk says or does. That you’re part of a tribe they hate. That you’re the enemy.

And that’s just wrong.

This is the dark side of modern tribalism—where we stop judging people by their actions or words, and start judging them by what they drive.

I’m not here to defend every statement Elon Musk has ever made. That’s not my job. I’m here to say that buying a truck doesn’t make someone a villain. It makes them a customer. A tech enthusiast. Maybe even just a dad who thinks it’s fun to drive.

The Cybertruck is a piece of technology—not a political affiliation. And attacking people who own one isn’t protest. It’s prejudice. It’s discrimination. It’s outrageous.

We can have serious discussions about tech ethics, Elon’s politics, or Tesla’s business decisions. But taking it out on the people who buy and enjoy these vehicles? That’s not principled. That’s petty.

Let’s stop with the assumptions. Let’s stop with the hate. And let’s stop letting public figures become excuses for personal harassment.

Drive what you like. Respect each other. Be better than this.

Outrageous!