Elon Musk just can't seem to catch a break these days. As if receiving near-constant flak at home for his pointedly partisan views was not enough, the CEO of Tesla now has to contend with condemnation from foreign players as well, be it the Brazilian Supreme Court Judge Alexandre de Moraes or the Russian warlord Ramzan Kadyrov, who is quite irate at Tesla's sudden decision to remotely deactivate his Cybertruck.
Kadyrov said he received a Tesla Cybertrack from Elon Musk. He promised to send it to the "special military operation" zone and attached a machine gun to it.
"Elon, thank you! Come to Grozny, I will receive you as the most dear guest! I do not think that our Russian MFA will be… pic.twitter.com/m72fg2G2PU
— Anton Gerashchenko (@Gerashchenko_en) August 17, 2024
For the benefit of those who might not be aware, the de-facto ruler of Russia's Chechen Republic, Ramzan Kadyrov, had acquired a Cybertruck last month and then mounted a machine gun on the EV. This development caused quite a stir especially as Russia remains under a strict sanctions regime.
For his part, Kadyrov has continued to imply that the Cybertruck in question was a personal gift from Elon Musk, with the warlord going so far as to thank the CEO of Tesla and invite him to visit Grozny - the capital of the Chechen Republic.
Of course, it is likely that the Cybertruck was acquired stealthily via the black market, which then prompted Tesla to remotely deactivate the EV.
Epic, the CyberTruck of Kadyrov (likely a black import) was deactivated by Tesla. 👍😂
Kadyrov, "This is not a nice thing Elon Musk is doing. He makes expensive gifts from the bottom of his heart and then switches them off remotely."
To be clear there was never a CyberTruck… pic.twitter.com/ORZnNWrnFj
— Alex (@alex_avoigt) September 20, 2024
Now, Kadyrov has formally reacted to this development by issuing an accusatory statement:
"This is not a nice thing Elon Musk is doing. He makes expensive gifts from the bottom of his heart and then switches them off remotely."
This controversy comes as Elon Musk is contending with another episode of bad blood closer to home. To wit, after Musk not only refused to follow the diktats of the Brazilian judge de Moraes to block X in the country but also heaped ridicule at his demands, the incensed judge issued a blanket ban on the social media platform within Brazil and levied a daily fine of 50,000 Reais ($8,900) for those who use VPNs to access it.
De Moraes noted in his decision:
"Elon Musk showed his total disrespect for Brazilian sovereignty and, in particular, for the judiciary, setting himself up as a true supranational entity and immune to the laws of each country."
Do you think Elon Musk's stature on the world stage makes him predisposed to such controversies on a regular basis or does he actively court them? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
About the author: Writing is my one incontrovertible passion. Over the past six years, he has authored over 2,200 distinct articles on financial and tech-related topics, spanning nearly 1 million words. And he has been a member of Wcctech mobile team since 2025. As an alumnus of the University of Toronto, Rotman Commerce Program, I bring nuance, in-depth knowledge, and a unique perspective to every topic that I cover. When I'm not writing, I'm traveling the world, exploring hidden confectionaries and restaurants as an aspiring food connoisseur.
Follow Wccftech on Google to get more of our news coverage in your feeds.
