Beautiful Virgin Islands

Thursday, Jul 24, 2025

Elon Musk and Tesla accuse regulators of trying to 'chill' free speech rights

Elon Musk and Tesla accuse regulators of trying to 'chill' free speech rights

A legal letter accuses government regulators of hounding the company and its outspoken chief executive Elon Musk as Tesla faces legal challenges on many fronts.

Elon Musk and Tesla have escalated their war of words with US regulators, accusing them of an "endless investigation" to curb the tycoon's right to free speech.

The allegations surfaced in a lawyer's letter to US District Judge Alison Nathan, who presided over a 2018 Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) settlement stemming from Musk's tweet about a potential buyout of Tesla.

Alex Spiro wrote: "The SEC seems to be targeting Mr Musk and Tesla for unrelenting investigation largely because Mr Musk remains an outspoken critic of the government; the SEC's outsized efforts seem calculated to chill his exercise of First Amendment rights."

The letter was written against a backdrop of legal trouble for Tesla.

Musk dances onstage during an event for Tesla Model 3 cars


It disclosed earlier this month that it had received a subpoena from the SEC about its compliance with the 2018 settlement.

Then, Musk was found to have fallen foul of market rules when he tweeted that he had "funding secured" to potentially take his electric car company private at $420 per share.

In reality, a buyout was not close.

Tesla and Musk settled by agreeing to each pay $20m in civil fines and to let Tesla lawyers vet some of Musk's communications in advance, including tweets that could affect Tesla's stock price.

Musk also gave up Tesla's chairmanship.

The latest subpoena was issued late last year after Musk polled his Twitter followers on whether he should sell 10% of his Tesla stake, triggering a sell-off.

The Tesla factory in Fremont, California


The lawyer's letter on behalf of Musk and Tesla was filed eight days after California's department of fair employment and housing sued Tesla over allegations by black workers that it tolerated racial discrimination at its Fremont, California, plant.

Tesla, which described that lawsuit as "misguided", is also trying to reduce or throw out a $137m jury award to a black former elevator operator who was allegedly subjected to a hostile work environment at the factory.

Another body, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, said on Thursday that it had opened an investigation into Tesla Model 3 and Model Y vehicles after receiving complaints about unexpected braking tied to its Autopilot system.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
The Podcaster Who Accidentally Revealed He Earns Over $10 Million a Year
Trump Announces $550 Billion Japanese Investment and New Trade Agreements with Indonesia and the Philippines
US Treasury Secretary Calls for Institutional Review of Federal Reserve Amid AI‑Driven Growth Expectations
UK Government Considers Dropping Demand for Apple Encryption Backdoor
Severe Flooding in South Korea Claims Lives Amid Ongoing Rescue Operations
Japanese Man Discovers Family Connection Through DNA Testing After Decades of Separation
Russia Signals Openness to Ukraine Peace Talks Amid Escalating Drone Warfare
Switzerland Implements Ban on Mammography Screening
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
Pogacar Extends Dominance with Stage Fifteen Triumph at Tour de France
CEO Resigns Amid Controversy Over Relationship with HR Executive
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
US Revokes Visas of Brazilian Corrupted Judges Amid Fake Bolsonaro Investigation
U.S. Congress Approves Rescissions Act Cutting Federal Funding for NPR and PBS
North Korea Restricts Foreign Tourist Access to New Seaside Resort
Brazil's Supreme Court Imposes Radical Restrictions on Former President Bolsonaro
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Judge Criticizes DOJ Over Secrecy in Dropping Charges Against Gang Leader
Apple Closes $16.5 Billion Tax Dispute With Ireland
Von der Leyen Faces Setback Over €2 Trillion EU Budget Proposal
UK and Germany Collaborate on Global Military Equipment Sales
Trump Plans Over 10% Tariffs on African and Caribbean Nations
Flying Taxi CEO Reclaims Billionaire Status After Stock Surge
Epstein Files Deepen Republican Party Divide
Zuckerberg Faces $8 Billion Privacy Lawsuit From Meta Shareholders
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
SpaceX Nears $400 Billion Valuation With New Share Sale
Microsoft, US Lab to Use AI for Faster Nuclear Plant Licensing
Trump Walks Back Talk of Firing Fed Chair Jerome Powell
Zelensky Reshuffles Cabinet to Win Support at Home and in Washington
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Irish Tech Worker Detained 100 days by US Authorities for Overstaying Visa
Dimon Warns on Fed Independence as Trump Administration Eyes Powell’s Succession
Church of England Removes 1991 Sexuality Guidelines from Clergy Selection
Superman Franchise Achieves Success with Latest Release
Hungary's Viktor Orban Rejects Agreements on Illegal Migration
Jeff Bezos Considers Purchasing Condé Nast as a Wedding Gift
Ghislaine Maxwell Says She’s Ready to Testify Before Congress on Epstein’s Criminal Empire
Bal des Pompiers: A Celebration of Community and Firefighter Culture in France
FBI Chief Kash Patel Denies Resignation Speculations Amid Epstein List Controversy
Air India Pilot’s Mental Health Records Under Scrutiny
Google Secures Windsurf AI Coding Team in $2.4 Billion Licence Deal
Jamie Dimon Warns Europe Is Losing Global Competitiveness and Flags Market Complacency
South African Police Minister Suspended Amid Organised Crime Allegations
Nvidia CEO Claims Chinese Military Reluctance to Use US AI Technology
Hong Kong Advances Digital Asset Strategy to Address Economic Challenges
Australia Rules Out Pre‑commitment of Troops, Reinforces Defence Posture Amid US‑China Tensions
Martha Wells Says Humanity Still Far from True Artificial Intelligence
×