Tesla CEO Elon Musk has seen his net worth drop an estimated $768 million following his disastrous demonstration of the company’s new Cybertruck.
Tesla shares sank more than 6 percent Friday after Musk’s employee attempted to demonstrate the futuristic pickup truck’s invincibility by throwing a metallic ball into one of the vehicle’s glass windows.
But the window ended up shattering and video of the event quickly went viral in a major embarrassment for the electtric vehicle company. In the video, Musk can be heard exclaiming, “Oh my fucking God.” Another ball cracked a second window on the vehicle.
The drop in Tesla stock caused Musk’s net worth to fall $768 billion to $23.6 billion, according to an estimate by Forbes. The magazine ranks the 48-year-old Musk as the 41st-richest person in the world.
Tesla quickly attempted to spin the news in a positive direction, with Musk announcing via Twitter on Saturday that the company has received 146,000 Cybertruck orders so far, “with no advertising & no paid endorsement.”
Musk also tweeted a video of what appears to be a successful lab test of the Cybertruck’s shatter-proof windows. “Guess we have some improvements to make before production haha,” he tweeted.
Critics immediately attacked the video, pointing out that the movement in the window and door indicate the door was not completely closed in an apparent bid to help the window handle the impact.
Musk claims that production on the Cybertruck is set to start in late 2021 and that a tri-motor version is expected to begin production in 2022.
The unusual design of the Cybertruck has provoked a number of jokes, with some saying that it resembles an “angry triangle.” Fox News host Tucker Carlson said Friday that it looked like something from an 80s science fiction movie.
Follow David Ng on Twitter @HeyItsDavidNg. Have a tip? Contact me at dng@breitbart.com
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.