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For years, Tesla made the worlds best-selling electric vehiclesbut thats begun to change. As a response to Elon Musks apparent Nazi salute and his involvement in dismantling key federal agencies, both Tesla stock and sales have declined. Tesla Takedown protests have popped up across the country (and the world), and even the value of used Teslas is depreciating. But EVs arent the only electric product Tesla makes. The company has also been a big player in the solar industry, with its Powerwall home batteries, traditional solar panels, and Solar Roof, in which the roof tiles themselves contain the solar panels. And early data hints at how Musks public reputation may be hurting this business, too. EnergySage has begun to notice some of those impacts. As an online marketplace for the solar industry, EnergySage connects solar-curious homeowners with installers to get quotes, or to its own advisors to field questions. Its reportedly the most visited website for the solar industry, and recently, its been hearing from both customers and installers about their desire to stay away from Tesla, particularly its Powerwall 3 home solar battery. From January 1 through January 19before Trumps inauguration and Musks salute at a Trump rallyabout 73% of homeowners who used EnergySage to get a quote on solar with a battery picked one that included the Tesla Powerwall 3, as opposed to a battery by another manufacturer. But between January 20 to March 10, that number dropped to 64%. Thats a slight dip, but its notable, says Kristina Zagame, a senior research analyst at EnergySage, because of how prominent the Tesla Powerwall 3 has been in the marketplace. That battery came out in early 2024; in the first quarter of that year, it accounted for 18% of the market share, but by the end of the year, it was up to 64%. The Powerwall 3 is popular because it eliminates the need to buy an inverter (as one is included in the battery), its an easier lift for installers, and its priced lower than competitive batteries. Besides that drop in selected quotes including Tesla batteries, EnergySage has also heard anecdotally evidence about rising anti-Tesla sentiment. Customers have both called and emailed to either express a negative sentiment toward Musk, or to ask specifically about non-Tesla solar battery options. Zagame even put together a battery guide to Tesla alternatives so that she could send it as an easy response to customer inquiries. But the calls kept coming, the emails kept coming, she says, so she looked more into customer sentiment directly. (EnergySage can see the messages homeowners send to installers when they get quotes, which is where some of the anti-Tesla sentiment was showing up.) Zagame took a one-week snapshot of customer calls in March, and found that a quarter of all calls mentioned Tesla, and 20% of those specifically noted a negative view towards the comapny. Homeowners receiving quotes from EnergySage also mentioned Tesla more than twice as often in emails over the first two months of 2025 compared to the year prior. Of those messages, 68% were requesting a Tesla alternative, while 13.5% specifically shared unfavorable views toward Tesla or Musk. There was also a slight decrease in the amount of installers offering Tesla solar batteries in their quotes: 61% of battery quotes included Tesla from January 1 to 19, compared to 58% from January 20 to March 10. That could also be because some installers have faced Powerwall 3 shortages and so dont have them in stock to offer right away. It’s not clear if this points to an impending downfall of the Tesla Powerwallit’s a bit early to tell, though EnergySage says it’ll keep an eye on these trends. Tesla’s overall solar business has changed in recent years, though, which may have protected it a bit from that changing consumer sentiment. Tesla’s installation businessas in, Tesla actually being the one to install its solar panels or Solar Roofis “particularly exposed to anti-Musk sentiment,” says Max Issokson, a solar analyst with Wood Mackenzie, because the company “relies on brand recognition and competitive pricing.” But that business has declined over the past nine years. Tesla acquired solar panel manufacturer SolarCity in 2016, and when it did so, it held 16% of the residential solar installation market, he says. Since then, the company has steadily lost market share. In 2024, Tesla held only 1.6% share. Tesla has focused less on being a solar installer, Issokson says, and more on being an equipment supplier. That means it has certified third-party installers to do the actual installation work, and instead supplies its panels, shingles, or batteries to installers. While it’s installation business was decreasing, Teslas residential battery and inverter business has increased. And the equipment side of Tesla’s solar business may be a bit more insulated from customer sentiment, Issokson says, as equipment decisions are more often controlled by the solar installer than the consumer. But Zagame says she has heard from a few installers who have been turned off by Musks actions and so are phasing out their Tesla solar offeringsor pushing alternatives like the FranklinWH to customers instead. [Installers] are helping people go solar, but at the end of the day they have a business to run and sales quotas to meet, Zagame says. So for them to say, Hey, we actually don’t want you to install this product anymore, that is a really big deal.
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When filmmaker Travis Gutiérrez Senger reflects on Ascos legacy, he quickly notes they were more than an art group; they created a movement, one with remarkable influence on Chicano art history. That movement continues today, and its very expansive, he says. Theres a lot of books, films and things that will be written about Asco over a period of time. And this was our contribution in some ways. He’s referring to Asco: Without Permission, a documentary that chronicles the story of the 1970s art group founded by multidisciplinary artist Patssi Valdez, muralist Willie Herrón III, painter and performance artist Gronk and writer and photographer Harry Gamboa Jr. They met as teens, formed as young adults, and called their group asconausea or disgust in Spanishafter one of their early DIY exhibits. Their conceptual work and performance art spoke to the exclusion of Chicanos from the mainstream art world and the systemic police brutality endured by the Mexican American community in East Los Angeles. All four founding members of Asco became some of the most notable Chicano artists, later exhibiting works in revered museums around the United States. But in their early days, the group was denied access to the notable galleries and museums. They created their own avenues in the form of public performances, murals, and more to exhibit their work, their way. To behave badly is the most ethical thing you can do, said executive producer Gael García Bernal at the films South by Southwest film festival premiere earlier this month. Youre building identity and questioning and unmasking the facade and the farce that exists. Bernal and Diego Luna executive produced the film under their production company El Corriente del Golfo. The film has yet to find distribution. Speaking with the Associated Press, Gamboa and Valdez praised Gutiérrez Sengers approach to their history. Both members, who appear in the documentary, saw the film for the first time with a crowd of fans and a group of young Chicano artists whose art was inspired by Ascos early rebellion. I felt the film really kind of captured the essence of all of us working together, said Gamboa. Valdez says it was a special moment for her, as the only woman in the founding group, to be given equal time and understanding. For the first time, I was given an equal voice in the group that hadnt happened before, she said, citing how previous stories of the group only highlighted her male collaborators. Without permission Asco emerged at the height of the Chicano civil rights movement in the 1960s and 1970s. It was a time of heightened political and racial tension amid the East LA walkouts, protesting education inequality, and the Chicano Moratorium, an anti-Vietnam War movement during which many Mexican Americans were victims of police brutality. Muralists and collectives popped up as Latino artists sought to process the systemic injustice taking place in their communities. The response to such violence was to create art, said Gamboa Jr. He wanted to alter the mainstream perception of Chicanos and present the possibilities and avenues someone can create despite societal constraints. For Valdez, being the only woman meant she was no stranger to a double dose of both racism in society and the sexism weaved within conservative Latino households, where young women were expected to keep quiet. I couldnt stand it. So I was able to act out these forms of censorship through the performance work in Asco, said Valdez, who once taped herself to a public wall in a piece titled Instant Mural, a metaphor on feeling captive. One of Ascos most known works is Spray Paint LACMA. Gamboa, Gronk and Herrón spray painted their names on the side of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art after Gamboa says he was told by a curator, Chicanos are in gangs, they dont make art. There was another era when people said, Latinx art, you know, doesnt exist. Its not a thing. It doesnt belong. Its not part of American art, said Pilar Tompkins-Rivas, the chief curator and deputy director of the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art. Ascos neighborhood performance art would often draw stares, and even crowds. In Station of the Cross, the group carried a large cross to the local military recruiting office to protest the Vietnam War. In 1974, Gamboa took a photo of Gronk posed as the victim of gang violence to bring attention to the medias sensationalist coverage of crime in East Los Angeles. In the documentary, Gamboa claims that a local news station ran the piece as an actual story. Ascos work as a group remained in obscurity from the mainstream. It was not until 2011 when LACMA mounted Asco: Elite of the Obscure, A Retrospective, 1972-1887, the first retrospective to present the groups performance and conceptual art. On display was an image of Valdez, taken by Gamboa, standing above the graffiti art. Life had presented Asco with its full-circle moment. Latino history has always been erased, said Gutiérrez Senger. Asco: Without Permission is a story of winning a battle, not a war. No Movies and Latino representation A 1974 photograph of Valdez shows the artist glammed up in a gold top, holding a golden statue of a cobra. She had won best actress at the Aztlan No Movie Awardsa fictional award show Asco created as commentary on the lack of Latino representation in Hollywood. The group was inspired by Hollywood cinema and popular culture, but knew the likelihood of starring in studio films was limited, unless they wanted to play a maid, cartel leader or gang member. Hollywood movies, rock n roll. Thats what I was about, said Valdez. And thats why I responded in the way I did with my artmaking. Gamboa photographed Herrón, Gronk, and Valdez using cinema stock to capture the essence of their favorite films. The series was called No Movies and later inspired their satirical award show. Gutiérrez Senger was drawn to it and pays homage throughout the documentary by featuring a group of young Chicano artistsincluding local Los Angeles artists like Fabi Reyna and San Chain short films inspired by Ascos signature DIY style. I think its a necessary obligation as a Latino if youre making films to fight very, very hard to put brown people on screen and behind the camera and to try to create films about our history, said Gutiérrez Senger. We have rich stories, and we have a rich history. Asco: Without Permission includes testimonials from respected Latino artists, including actor Michael Pea and comedian Arturo Castro, who have broken into the mainstream but know the importance of preserving hstory. Our history as Latinos is not in the history books. The movements that we’ve had are not in the history books, Pea says in the documentary. Although it often feels like progression is slow, Valdez says artists need to continue to voice their opinions and misbehave and not ask for permission. You do not need permission to be yourself. You do not need permission to be creative. You do not need permission to be intellectual, said Gamboa. And the thing is, you cannot allow yourself to be repressed or silenced and or visually curtailed from presenting works. By Leslie Ambriz, Associated Press
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Many schools and colleges are underperforming when it comes to sex education. Going beyond the classroom condoms-and-bananas approach, a group of students have taken it upon themselves to deliver sex ed, TikTok-style. The TikTok account @sexedforguys, which has more than 117,000 followers, started as a school project by four students at Colby College, a private liberal arts school in Maine. Launched in 2022, the account features skits tackling consent, toxic masculinity, and homophobiaessential lessons in a time when manosphere content is flooding For You Pages and Gen Z boys and men are more likely than baby boomers to believe that feminism has done more harm than good. @sexedforguys The channel began as part of a study on privilege at elite all-boys schools, led by professor Adam Howard, chair of Colbys education department. His research highlights how these institutions often fall shortespecially when it comes to sex education. While working with student researchers, Howard asked how they could best share their findings. Their answer? TikTok. Howard told Rolling Stone that TikTok was the perfect platform for sharing his research for two reasons: First, thats where young people are (55% of TikTok users are younger than 30). Second, it provides a much-needed counternarrative to some of the worst content on the app. Guys could be scrolling through their TikTok and Andrew Tate will pop up, but as they scroll maybe Sex Ed for Guys will pop up and itll start having them think a little bit differently, Christopher Maichin, a 20-year-old junior at Colby, told Rolling Stone. I think the greatest part of it is that they are getting education without even knowing it. Theyre watching a funny video but theyre learning about consent. Several of the TikTok accounts videos have gone viral, including Respecting Women Workout (which has 11 million-plus views) and the game Thats Whats Up!/Whats Up With That? (which has more than 3 million views). @sexedforguys Thats whats up. #fyp #trending #trend #foryoupage original sound – Sex Ed for Guys Setting boundaries with your partner: That’s what’s up! Backflips: That’s what’s up! Using racial and homophobic slurs: What’s up with that?” the boys say to the camera. Their video goes on to praise the 2013 Florida Gulf Coast March of Madness run, night-vision goggles, and “asking your partner about their day.” This is unironically how we defeat the alt-right pipeline, one user commented under the video. Another wrote: this could actually save america.”
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