Elon Musk’s 18-year-old manifesto outlining his vision for Tesla and the electric car industry has mysteriously disappeared from the company’s blog page, along with all posts by Musk and Tesla executives before 2019. The manifesto, known as the “Secret Master Plan,” highlighted Musk’s belief in the importance of electric vehicles and solar power in combating climate change, as well as his goal of making EVs more affordable. However, Musk’s recent interview with climate-skeptic Donald Trump has indicated a shift in his views on the oil and gas industry and the role they play in the economy.
In his 2006 blog post, Musk emphasized Tesla’s mission to transition from a hydrocarbon economy to a solar electric economy and to make EVs more accessible to the general public. Despite Tesla’s success as the world’s most valuable automaker and record sales of 1.8 million cars last year, Musk has pivoted towards promoting robotaxis and autonomous vehicles as the future of the company. This shift in focus has led Musk to step back from his previous goal of selling 20 million vehicles annually by the end of the decade.
The disappearance of older Tesla blogs, including Musk’s 2006 manifesto and the updated version “Master Plan, Part Deux,” has raised questions about the company’s transparency and accountability. The removal of a post from October 2016 claiming all Tesla cars produced at the time had full self-driving hardware has also caused controversy, leading to a class-action lawsuit alleging misleading claims about the company’s autonomous driving capabilities. California regulators have accused Tesla of false advertising regarding its Autopilot and full self-driving features, while the National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration has raised concerns about the system’s limitations and the potential for driver over-reliance on automation.
The deletion of these posts comes at a time when Tesla is facing increasing scrutiny over its claims about autonomous driving technology and concerns about the safety and reliability of its vehicles. The absence of Musk’s early manifesto, which played a key role in shaping Tesla’s identity and mission, has left many wondering about the company’s commitment to its original goals and values. Despite the disappearance of these posts, the text and images can still be found on Tesla fan sites, but they are no longer accessible via the Wayback Machine internet archive.
Musk and Tesla have not responded to requests for comment on the removal of these posts, leaving stakeholders and the public in the dark about the reasons behind the purge of older blog entries. The sudden disappearance of Musk’s vision for Tesla and its future direction raises questions about the company’s priorities and its commitment to transparency and accountability. As Tesla continues to face legal challenges and regulatory scrutiny over its autonomous driving technology, the absence of key historical documents and statements from company executives only adds to the uncertainty surrounding the electric car maker.
