Thread by @thefernandocz

In January 2023, Tesla did something unthinkable:

They slashed ALL prices by 20% & destroyed their profit margins overnight.

No one understood why they did it.

But Elon saw something no one else did...

Here's the real explanation (& why it's his boldest move yet) 🧵

For years, Tesla had dominated the EV market with premium pricing.

Their strategy was simple: Position as a luxury brand, maintain high margins.

But on January 12, 2023, Musk made an unprecedented move that shocked the industry...

Tesla slashed prices across ALL models by 10-20%.

• The Model Y: Down $13,000.
• The Model 3: Down $7,000.

Wall Street was stunned. Billions in market value vanished overnight.

But that was just the beginning...

The ripple effects were immediate:

• Used Tesla prices plummeted
• Existing owners protested
• Competitors panicked

Ford had to cut Mach-E prices by $5,900 just to stay competitive.

The entire EV market was in chaos. But why did Musk do it?

The answer lies in Tesla's unique business model:

Unlike traditional car makers who sell through dealerships...

Tesla sells direct-to-consumer.

This means they can adjust prices instantly based on demand.

But there was a bigger strategy at play...

Musk was playing 4D chess:

By slashing prices, he forced competitors into a price war they couldn't win.

But the results shocked everyone...

Tesla's Q3 2023 numbers tell the story:

• Operating margin crashed from 17.2% to 7.6%
• Operating income plunged 52% to $1.7B
• Stock price fell 40% since January

Wall Street was panicking. But the damage went deeper...

The used car market imploded:

Some Tesla models lost 28.9% of their value in ONE year.

Even more shocking:

A 2020 Model 3 saw the same depreciation in 3 years as a 2022 Model 3 saw in 1 year.

The entire industry was in chaos. But Musk had a secret weapon...

While competitors focused on car prices, Tesla was building their real profit engine:

Full Self-Driving (FSD) software.

At $12,000 per vehicle, it's nearly pure profit.

And that's just the beginning...

Musk's master plan:

1. Cut prices to gain market share
2. Get more Teslas on the road
3. Upsell high-margin software
4. Launch robotaxi network

Traditional automakers can't compete with this model. They don't have the software expertise.

Think about it:

Even with lower margins on cars, Tesla can make it up through:

• FSD subscriptions
• Over-the-air upgrades
• Future robotaxi revenue

It's the ultimate moat. The most amazing part about this all:

Despite this massive transformation...

Despite the price wars...

Despite the chaos...

They still spend $0 on advertising.

Meanwhile:

• Ford spends $2.2B on ads yearly
• GM spends $3.3B
• Toyota spends $4.1B

Yet...

Tesla sells more electric vehicles than all of them combined.

How? They cracked the modern marketing code:

Traditional advertising is dying:

• TV ads get skipped
• Billboards get ignored
• Digital ads get blocked

But Tesla?

They get millions in free publicity through:

• Musk's tweets
• Word-of-mouth
• Customer evangelism

All because they built in public. This is the future of business:

People don't trust corporate ads anymore. They trust authentic voices.

Instead of burning cash on ads, the best founders are building personal brands that:

• Create trust at scale
• Attract customers organically
• Generate opportunities on autopilot

Just like Elon did. So:

Founders: We’ll build your personal/company brand on 𝕏 (and beyond) without you lifting a finger.

To date, we've already helped 60+ founders get 2+ Billion combined views.

Interested in how we can do this for you? Book your free discovery call here: form.typeform.com/to/JWuXNkxQ?ut…

Thanks for reading! A bit about me:

2 years ago, I cofounded @ThoughtleadrX — a premium personal branding agency for world-class founders, executives, and investors to dominate socials.

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