PR experts say Elon Musk’s handling of the Tesla Cybertruck explosion in Las Vegas was a masterclass

While Musk may not believe in PR (he practically disbanded the PR teams at both Tesla and his social network, X) his quick response to Wednesday’s Cybertruck explosion has earned him praise from experts.

The Tesla CEO, who has been adamant on social media that his company’s vehicles are no more flammable than the average combustion vehicle, was quick to call out headlines that he said were misleading and seemed to placed blame on the Cybertruck itself for the explosion. 

While seven people apart from the Cybertruck’s driver were injured in the explosion, Musk pointed out that the vehicle resisted the explosion well and added that the perpetrator made a big mistake. 

“The evil knuckleheads picked the wrong vehicle for a terrorist attack. Cybertruck actually contained the explosion and directed the blast upwards,” Musk posted on X Wednesday. “Not even the glass doors of the lobby were broken.”

By taking to X to respond soon after the incident occurred, Musk was able to help shape the narrative, said Ryan McCormick, cofounder and managing partner of Goldman McCormick PR, which specializes in crisis management.

“It is so important to act quickly in these situations, because people are coming to their own conclusion, and they are formulating their own opinion,” McCormick told Coins2Day. “If there’s no response by you, they are coming to their own conclusion.”

From the outset, Musk made it clear he and his team were working to get more information. 

“The whole Tesla senior team is investigating this matter right now,” he posted on X Wednesday afternoon. “Will post more information as soon as we learn anything. We’ve never seen anything like this.”

In subsequent posts, Musk kept his audience of more than 200 million followers informed with details of the investigation. Before authorities announced at a press conference that the Cybertruck bed was filled with fuel canisters and fireworks, Musk had already sent out several tweets with detailed information.

“We have now confirmed that the explosion was caused by very large fireworks and/or a bomb carried in the bed of the rented Cybertruck and is unrelated to the vehicle itself,” he posted over 90 minutes before the press conference. “All vehicle telemetry was positive at the time of the explosion.” 

Less than 15 minutes later, he added: “Law enforcement currently believes it was most likely intentional.” And in less than an hour, Musk declared the incident “appears likely to be an act of terrorism,” and theorized it could be linked with a suspected act of terror in New Orleans earlier the same day. 

Authorities have since found several commonalities between the two suspects involved in both the New Orleans attack and the Cybertruck explosion. 

Musk’s use of his social media platform X helped him reach a massive audience but it also showed his characteristic brashness when he threatened media outlets with lawsuits for their coverage of the incident, said Kyle Ankney, a 10-year PR pro and cofounder of Wisteria PR. 

“When he wasn’t having his, I would say, more egocentric moments, I do think it was beneficial for him to capitalize on the platform,” Ankney told Coins2Day.

Still, Musk’s aggressive action, and his efforts to aid the investigation by sending footage of the Cybertruck at Tesla charging stations to authorities, earned him props from law enforcement as well. 

“I have to thank Elon Musk, specifically,” said Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department Sheriff Kevin McMahill Wednesday. “He gave us quite a bit of additional information in regards to how—the vehicle was locked after it exploded due to the nature of the force from the explosion as well as being able to capture all of the video from the Tesla charging stations across the country. He sent that directly to us, so I appreciate his help on that.”