Black social media users are calling for a boycott of Tesla after the company’s lawyers argued that using the N-word in the workplace is acceptable under certain circumstances.
Tesla is facing a racism lawsuit filed by The Civil Rights Department on behalf of Black employees at Tesla’s factory in Fremont, California.
The lawsuit alleges years of racism, harassment and unequal treatment by management.
The plaintiffs said management routinely used the N-word and referred to them as “slaves” and the factory as a “plantation.”
Tesla’s lawyers argued that use of the N-word in the workplace is acceptable under certain circumstances and it is not always considered racism.
Tesla’s defense claims the N-word is considered a “term of respect and endearment” in the Black community.
RELATED: Elon Musk Criticizes Casting Lupita Nyong’o as Helen of Troy
Prosecutors allege that lawyers for Tesla approached witnesses and pretended to be working for the prosecution.
Another four potential witnesses were approached by Tesla’s lawyers prior to the case. Those witnesses were then unavailable to the prosecution, suggesting they were paid off.
In 2022, Elon Musk announced that Tesla was building a “hardcore litigation department where we directly initiate and execute lawsuits,” with the attorneys reporting directly to him.
The lawsuit is being heard by Judge Peter Borkon who will decide the verdict. Tesla has since settled another racism lawsuit.
A boycott probably won’t hurt Tesla’s sales, since only about 2% of Tesla owners are Black.
However, Black users are canceling their X subscriptions and leaving the X platform.
Recently, Musk’s artificial intelligence company xAI successfully sued to block Colorado’s landmark AI anti-discrimination law, clearing the way for his xAI to be biased against Black people.
In 2025, the NAACP sued xAI for poisoning Black neighborhoods in Tennessee and Mississippi with pollution from its data center.
The lawsuit accused xAI of spewing noxious fumes from gas-powered turbines into the air, exposing Black residents to cancer-causing chemicals.
Mississippi has stated xAI does not need state permits to operate the turbines in the first year.