What does it take to damage a brand? In spite of Dieselgate, Volkswagen is still selling in the millions. The recall campaign that followed the unintended acceleration issue and the subsequent airbag recall did little to dent Toyota's reputation. Then there is Tesla and, more importantly, its visionary leader, Elon Musk. Is Tesla the brand or is Musk the brand? Is Tesla even a carmaker or is it just a massive marketing machine? Could Tesla exist without Musk?These are all questions being asked as Musk continues a series of bizarre outbursts and actions that would have many corporate executives packing their desks. Musk is not the typical corporate executive; he could be described as a leader, some might say a cult leader. He has more than 22 million followers on Twitter, many of whom will lash out if a bad word is said about him.Many of his actions lately show signs of desperation, but also of someone who does not like to be criticised, especially on the social media platforms t...
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