Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk clarified Thursday he is staying on President Donald Trump’s business advisory council.
His decision comes after backlash from Tesla fans over Musk’s association to Trump. The company has more than 400,000 Model 3 reservation holders who paid a $1,000 deposit to get a place on the wait line for the car, but some are cancelling their reservations after Trump’s immigration executive order, according to Electrek.
Musk went on Twitter Thursday to defend his position and said he and others will express their objections against the travel ban and will offer amendments to the order in a meeting Friday.
His statement added:
“Advisory councils simply provide advice and attending does not mean that I agree with actions by the Administration. My goals are to accelerate the world’s transition to sustainable energy and to help make humanity a multi-planet civilization, a consequence of which will be the creation of hundreds of thousands of jobs and a more inspiring future for all.
I understand the perspective of those who object to my attending this meeting, but I believe at this time that engaging on critical issues will on balance serve the greater good.”
Musk, like many others in the tech industry, had previously said on Twitter he did not agree with the travel ban.
“The blanket entry ban on citizens from certain primarily Muslim countries is not the best way to address the country’s challenges,” he said on Jan. 28. “Many people negatively affected by this policy are strong supporters of the US. They’ve done right, not wrong & don’t deserve to be rejected.”
Musk’s recent statement about his position on the council comes after Uber CEO Travis Kalanick said he would leave the advisory council. Kalanick, like Musk, received criticism for being associated to Trump’s administration after the immigration order and also about Uber’s response to the ban. During protests last Saturday at U.S. airports, Uber’s New York City account disabled surge pricing for John F. Kennedy Airport at the same time the New York Taxi Workers Alliance planned a strike in solidarity with protesters. People quickly went on social media against the company using the hashtag #deleteUBER.
The immigration executive order was signed by Trump last Friday and restricts people from seven predominantly muslim countries from entering the United States.
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