Tesla's Elon Musk Calls NY Times Writer Stross "A Huge Douchebag…And An Idiot"

http://cosmos.bcst.yahoo.com/up/fop/embedflv/swf/fop_wrapper.swf?id=12915919&autoStart=0&prepanelEnable=1&infopanelEnable=1&carouselEnable=0

Undoubtedly Tesla isn’t going to be happy about this video getting attention, but I think it’s awesome to see CEO Elon Musk take a stand against the company’s many detractors. Last November New York Times writer Randall Stross trashed Tesla as a rich man’s car that the government should shun. “Only the Rich Can Afford It. Should Taxpayers Back It?” he wrote.

Later, the article was much edited after well deserved criticism. Stross also corrected errors suggesting that Tesla’s loan requests were for the $109,000 Roadster, when in fact they were to be used for the $50,000 Model S, their most recent and much more affordable all-electric car.

That rewriting, though, apparently hasn’t appeased Musk. In an interview last week (video above) with Yahoo TechTicker, Musk calls Stross a “huge douchebag…and an idiot” (skip to the 40 second mark) and says “What is he doing picking on an electric car company? Why would he pick on the little guy who is trying to do good when you’ve got egregious waste of money in the tens of billions occurring in Detroit?”

Musk also points out that Tesla investors only make money if the loan is repaid, and that Tesla has applied for just 1.5% of the $25 billion appropriation.

Nicely done, Mr. Musk. I’m definitely going to buy one of your cars.