Elon Musk blasted an Associated Press reporter, calling him a “lobbyist” who had “no integrity” about the becoming of a news story about Tesla’s recall of tens of thousands of sedans whose software has been programmed to “run stop signs.”
Tesla on Tuesday said it will recall 54,000 sedans after federal regulators flagged a self-driving functionality which had the car slow down and roll slowly through an intersection instead of coming to a complete stop as required by law in most states.
On Twitter, a Musk sympathizer posted a screenshot of the AP story written by Tom Krisher whose headline read: “Tesla recall: ‘Full Self-Driving’ software runs stop signs.”
Musk, the world’s richest man and the founder and CEO of the popular electric car maker, replied to the tweet, questioning the journalist’s credentials while failing to address the fact that most states require drivers by law to come to a full and complete stop regardless of traffic.
“He’s actually a lobbyist, not a journalist,” Musk tweeted. “There are many who pose as the latter while behaving like the former. No integrity.”
“Indeed, there were no safety issues,” Musk continued. “The car simply slowed to ~2 mph & continued forward if clear view with no cars or pedestrians.”
Krisher declined comment when reached by the Post. An AP spokesperson said the wire service stands by Krisher’s reporting.