Tesla Out, Tobacco In: The Scandal No One Saw Coming.
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How Tesla Lost its Spark: Shock as billionaire investor sells millions of dollars worth of shares.
You’d think betting on electric cars would still be cool in 2025. But one of the big-money hedge funds, Coatue Management, just gave Tesla the boot – selling over half a million shares. They also trimmed their Nvidia stake, another tech darling.
And what did they buy instead?
Philip Morris. Yes – the cigarette company.
And surprisingly, this move wasn’t just about profits.
What’s ESG?
ESG stands for Environmental, Social, and Governance. It’s a kind of rating system investors use to decide if a company is “responsible.” Save the planet. Treat workers well. Be ethical.
But ESG isn’t really about what a company does – it’s about how it presents itself. It’s about reputation.
And Tesla? Despite selling electric cars and building solar panels, it got slapped with a miserable ESG score of 40.
Meanwhile, Philip Morris – yes, that Philip Morris – scored a pristine 85.
Tesla’s Not “Green” Enough?
Tesla’s mission is to replace petrol cars with clean electric ones. That should tick all the green boxes.
But ESG scoring isn’t that simple. It’s less about actual impact, and more about neat paperwork and good PR.
Tesla lost points for being a bit of a mess behind the scenes – worker disputes, lawsuits, and Elon’s social media antics. They also didn’t tick all the right “disclosure” boxes in their reports. That’s a big no-no in ESG land.
Are powerful institutions quietly turning on Elon Musk because they can’t control him?
Is Tesla being frozen out by the same ESG investors who happily back oil, pharma, and tobacco?
Who really benefits when Tesla’s shares drop – and who’s pulling those strings?
Have your say in the comments below.
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