If you’ve been surfing around the internet today, or even later last evening, you probably saw or read about video clips related to Ford CEO Jim Farley having a bit of fun at the expense of Tesla CEO Elon Musk. Now, Musk has delivered a similarly harmless response on Twitter.
As the story goes, Ford’s Farley was speaking about the automaker’s investment in solar energy, and, of course, he mentioned the F-150 Lightning. There’s no doubt the CEO is incredibly proud of Ford’s accomplishment with its fully electric pickup truck, which has impressed reviewers far and wide. However, one of the most impressive parts of the Lightning story is how quickly Ford got it to market. Meanwhile, the Tesla Cybertruck is still nowhere in sight.
Farley shared via Teslarati:
“We are really on a mission at Ford to lead an electric and digital revolution for many, not few. And I have to say the shining light for us at Ford is this beautiful Lightning made right down the road in Dearborn, right here in the state of Michigan, already the leader of all EV pickup trucks in our industry in the United States.”
Check out the short video clip of part of Farley’s speech, and be sure to listen at the end.
After touting the Lightning electric truck, Farley ends with:
“Take that, Elon Musk.”
For those unaware, Tesla announced and revealed the wild Cybertruck long before the F-150 Lightning was a reality. However, the all-electric F-150 came to market in May 2022, and the Cybertruck is now delayed yet again. Elon Musk says it’s coming next year.
At any rate, in response to the clip above, you can see that the Tesla CEO replied, “Thanks, but I already have one.” Some folks may not immediately realize what Musk is referring to, and there’s really no way to know for sure. Is it his personal Cybertruck? A solar system?
Likely not. Musk is probably letting Farley know he already owns an F-150 Lightning electric pickup truck. Perhaps Musk didn’t purchase one for himself, but Tesla buying one and benchmarking it is really a no-brainer, and some people have mentioned on social media that they’ve seen F-150s hanging around Tesla’s factories. If Musk is referring to the Lightning, it really can be seen as a compliment to Ford and Farley, rather than a dig.
The Tesla CEO has given Kudos to Farley and Ford before, even going so far as to congratulate the company. Moreover, Musk has, on a few occasions, reminded the public that Ford and Tesla are the only two US automakers to avoid bankruptcy, despite years of mounting obstacles.
To be clear and fair, Farley has praised Tesla and Musk on many occasions as well. In fact, the Ford CEO is one of the few who openly credits Tesla for Ford’s current successes with EVs.
What do you think Musk’s reply is referring to? Leave us your guesses in the comment section below.
