Musk Rants About Tesla Media Coverage, Labor Unions

Tesla Inc. CEO Elon Musk used a series of tweets earlier this week to strike out at critics.

The outbreaks follow Musk’s unusual behavior during a call with investors three weeks ago, when he cut off some questions as “boring” and “boneheaded.” A week later, in a twitter spat with billionaire investor Warren Buffett, he declared he was launching a candy company to compete with Buffett’s See’s Candies.

This week Musk suggested that negative press about Tesla is the doing of traditional carmakers and oil producers that oppose his company’s vision of an all-electric transportation future.

Musk also announced he is creating a website called Pravda (Russian for “truth” and the name of Russia’s state-controlled newspaper). He says site will be a place where the public can rate the “core truth” of articles and check the “credibility” score of reporters, editors and publications.

In another tweet, Musk attacked the United Auto Workers union, which has been trying to organize workers at Tesla’s assembly plant in California. He asserts that the UAW drove General Motors and Chrysler into bankruptcy. He also mused, “Why pay union dues and give up stock options for nothing?”

Critics say Musk appeared to be threatening to withdraw stock options for workers who agree to join the UAW. Doing so would be a violation federal labor laws.