Elon Musk vs. California

The smartest insight and analysis, from all perspectives, rounded up from around the web

A Tesla plant.
(Image credit: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

The smartest insight and analysis, from all perspectives, rounded up from around the web:

Tesla CEO Elon Musk reopened his California factory this week, reported Tim Higgins at The Wall Street Journal, "supercharging" a showdown with government officials in a state wary of risking a new round of coronavirus infections. Defying orders from Alameda County, Musk promised to be on the assembly line at his Fremont, Calif., plant, and challenged authorities to "arrest me." Musk had already filed a lawsuit in federal court arguing that the local government had "overstepped its power" in blocking Tesla from restarting. County officials had informed Musk that Tesla could reopen on May 18 — the same day Ford, General Motors, and Fiat Chrysler plan their restarts in Detroit — but the often erratic billionaire, who recently announced his intention to sell "almost all physical possessions," decided that was too long to wait. Musk has been a vocal opponent of the coronavirus lockdowns, calling them ­"fascist" and "dumb." He called California's sluggishness in lifting restrictions the final straw, and threatened to move his company, the only major carmaker in the state, to Nevada or Texas.

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