Peeling Back the Hype: The Cult of Musk and the Road to Disillusionment
“Musked and Confused: Exposing the Cult of Elon, Where Hype Meets Hubris and Reality Hits the Curb.”
Musk convinced me that I was buying into the future of clean energy when all I bought was a tiny slice of the world’s most oversized, nastiest ego. Tesla drivers are quietly peeling the ‘T’ off their cars, wondering exactly what they helped fund.
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Several phrases in this article are claimed as the Copyright or Trademark of the author, dated March 1st, 2025, Sydney, Australia
“THIS CAR IS A DOGE™”, “Musked and Confused©”, “MY TESLA MODEL 3 IS A MUSK BABY THAT DISOWNED ITS FATHER©”, “Fueled by Hype, Engineered for Exploitation™”, “DOGE3©", Yin-Yang of Grift and Grandiosity™, “THIS CAR DISOWNED ITS FATHER™”, “Dogeification of Tesla©”
I’VE BEEN MUSKED: A Tesla Owner’s Tale of Regret and Rebranding. To be ‘Musked’ is to be disillusioned by the reality of Tesla and its CEO, Elon Musk, after being initially captivated by their promises. Once upon a time, I believed I was buying into the future of clean energy — a sleek, eco-friendly chariot powered by innovation and a mission to save the world. Instead, I bankrolled a chaos-loving meme emperor who now seems less interested in making great cars than in wreaking havoc. I bought a Tesla Model 3, but I got a Musk baby that disowned its Father.
The Awakening: When the T Became a Doge
At first, my Model 3 was a source of pride. The clean lines, the silent hum, and the autopilot that mostly worked felt like a glimpse into the utopia Musk promised. But then came the tweets. And the Dogecoin shilling. And the desperate need to inject himself into every conversation like an overcaffeinated tech bro at a cryptocurrency convention. I couldn’t ignore it any longer. My car — the beautiful machine I had once flaunted — was no longer just a vehicle. It was a rolling monument to hubris, crypto grifting, and half-baked Twitter polls. I felt a deep sense of betrayal.
The Rebrand: This Car Is a DOGE™
If Musk could turn a legitimate EV company into a meme stock, I could turn my Model 3 into a protest vehicle. The first step? Stripping away the Tesla badge and replacing it with something more fitting:
🚗 A custom emblem that reads “THIS CAR IS A DOGE™” because let’s be honest — this thing is as much a joke as DOGE.
📢 A glowing red LED rear window display boldly states: “MY TESLA MODEL 3 IS A MUSK BABY THAT DISOWNED ITS FATHER.”
⚡ A new slogan for my electric ride: “Fueled by Hype, Engineered for Exploitation™”
The Ultimate Confession: I’VE BEEN MUSKED™
With my newly rebadged DOGE3 — sorry, I mean Tesla-that-shall-not-be-named — I can no longer pretend I’m an enlightened eco-warrior. No, I am just another fool who got Musked™. I have to accept my fate, much like the investors who bought into Twitter 2.0 (or the employees who thought their stock options might still be worth something). I contributed to this madness. Now, my only redemption is to wear my shame with pride. Every time I roll up to a Tesla Supercharger, I see the wide eyes of fellow owners, all thinking the same thing: “Damn. We all got Musked.”
How Musk Will Try to Hijack This
At this point, I fully expect Musk to:
- Tweet something dismissive like: “Haha, sounds like you should’ve bought a Prius.” 🚀😆
- Turn it into a marketing gimmick: “DOGE3 sounds cool, we should actually make that model.”
- Release limited-edition Doge badges for Teslas, priced at $69.42 each.
- Tweet: “All complaints must be sent via Mars.”
- Sell an “I’VE BEEN MUSKED™” hoodie on Tesla’s website and profit off the outrage.
And honestly, that’s what makes this so ridiculous. Every scandal, failure, and moment of genuine concern gets repackaged as a meme-fueled product launch. Musk doesn’t deny the criticism; he absorbs, monetises, and keeps moving. The only way to beat Musk at his own game is to push the absurdity so far that even he can’t reclaim it.
The Doge3 Movement: From Regret to Revolution. The ‘Doge3’ movement is a growing protest among Tesla owners who feel they’ve been misled by Musk’s chaotic leadership.
They’re reclaiming their agency by rebadging their Teslas and sharing their stories of disillusionment. This isn’t just about one Tesla owner’s crisis of conscience — it’s about all of us. The Doge3 movement is growing. Tesla owners everywhere realise they’ve become unwilling participants in Musk’s whirlwind of chaos, corporate distractions, and Twitter-fueled tantrums. And so, a silent but unmistakable protest has begun:
🚀 Rebadged Teslas sporting Doge emblems are appearing in parking lots.
📢 Drivers roll past Tesla showrooms with LED displays flashing ‘I WAS MUSKED™’.
🔥 Owners swap stories of regret, disillusionment, and desperate attempts to reclaim dignity.
But the movement doesn’t stop at humour and satire. It raises a bigger question: What happens when our tech idols become cult leaders? What happens when we, as consumers, become walking billboards for billionaires who have lost the plot? The Doge3 isn’t just a joke — it’s a symbol of corporate recklessness and a reminder that when we put our faith in the whims of erratic tech overlords, we risk becoming footnotes in their meme-fueled empire.
What Comes Next? The Dogeification of Tesla
Musk may have turned Tesla into a circus, but that doesn’t mean we can’t turn the joke back on him. The silent protest of rebadged Teslas is growing, and soon, the roads will be filled with Musked™ survivors. If you, too, regret your life choices, it’s time to take action. The ‘Dogeification of Tesla©’ is a movement to reclaim our consumer power and hold Musk accountable for his actions.
🚨 Rebadge your Tesla.
🚨 Display your regret.
🚨 Join the movement.
If Musk will make everything a meme, we should ensure he becomes one, too. 🚗🔥🐕
Elon Musk’s initial vision for Tesla was to “accelerate the world’s transition to sustainable energy,” focusing on producing affordable electric vehicles (EVs) to reduce global dependence on fossil fuels. This mission resonated with environmentally conscious consumers seeking innovative, zero-emission transportation solutions.
However, since then, developments suggest a shift in focus. Musk’s frequent promotion of Dogecoin, a meme-based cryptocurrency, has raised questions about his commitment to Tesla’s original mission. His public endorsements have significantly influenced Dogecoin’s market value, leading to concerns about potential market manipulation.
Moreover, Musk’s appointment to lead the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) under President Donald Trump introduces potential conflicts of interest. This role, aimed at reducing governmental bureaucracy, coincides with Musk’s business interests, including Tesla’s reliance on government contracts and subsidies.
These actions have led to a perception that Tesla’s brand is becoming intertwined with personal politics, internet memes and personal ventures, potentially diverting attention from its core mission of sustainable energy. While Musk’s innovative approach has propelled Tesla to significant heights, blending personal interests with corporate objectives raises questions about the company’s direction and the integrity of its original promises to consumers.
Legal perspectives vary regarding deceptive or misleading conduct. A recent lawsuit alleging that Musk and Tesla engaged in fraud by promoting Dogecoin was dismissed, indicating that, from a legal standpoint, his actions don’t constitute fraud.
However, Musk’s ethics and morals continue to be a topic of public debate.
Final Thought: When the Meme Becomes the Master
This isn’t just about a car. It’s about a cultural shift where technology isn’t a tool for progress. It’s a weapon for spectacle. Where CEOs don’t just run companies but run social media empires, shaping public perception with every impulsive tweet. Maybe the real problem isn’t just Musk’s antics — maybe our willingness to follow tech messiahs without question. Perhaps we all got Musked.
My Doge3 is more than a meme car — it’s a warning, a symbol, a reminder that we should think twice before worshipping the next genius billionaire who promises us a bright future. Because the future isn’t a meme, it’s what we make of it. It’s time for Tesla buyers to reflect on our choices and the power we give to Gazillionaires.
Tesla owners lament: We signed up for a TED Talk and ended up at a MemeStock Rally.
Great example of bait-and-click.
The Trump-Musk Yin-Yang: Chaos Meets Opportunism
A Trump-Musk partnership is a symbiotic spectacle, a Yin-Yang of chaos and opportunism — but not in the traditional sense of balance and harmony. Instead, it’s a self-reinforcing vortex of ego, spectacle, and transactional power.
If America is now governed by a Trump-Musk partnership, it’s not a traditional balance of forces — it’s a Yin-Yang of Grift and Grandiosity™. Trump thrives on authoritarian theatrics, Musk on technological mystique, yet both are performers first, substance second. Trump wields populist outrage like a cudgel, Musk weaponizes disruption as a business model. Together, they form a feedback loop of disinformation and hype, each amplifying the other’s mythology of infallibility.
Where does that leave the rest of us? Stuck between a disillusioned electorate and a disillusioned customer base, watching Twitter/X morph into a state-sponsored propaganda pipeline, while Tesla drivers quietly peel the T off their cars, wondering what, exactly, they helped fund.
About the author:
📌 Greg Twemlow, Founder of XperientialAI & Designer of the Fusion Bridge
XperientialAI: AI-powered learning for leaders, educators, and organisations.
Fusion Bridge: My latest work — building AI-enabled frameworks for innovation & leadership.
🌎 Read more of my 300+ articles → https://gregtwemlow.medium.com/
📧 Contact: greg@xperiential.ai or greg@fusionbridge.org
Greg Twemlow, Founder of XperientialAI & Designer of the Fusion Bridge
