- YouTuber Zach Nelson said he was considering selling his Cybertruck because of its polarizing nature.
- Nelson said a sponsor declined to participate in the video review because of Cybertruck.
- Nelson, who owns other Teslas, said he didn’t want to appear supportive of Elon Musk’s controversial statements online.
The YouTuber said a sponsor pulled out of one of his Cybertruck videos due to concerns about its association with the vehicle.
Tech influencer Zach Nelson has been making YouTube videos for about 14 years — and Cybertruck has become a “pretty important” part of his business, he told Business Insider.
After putting 13,000 miles on it, Nelson made a video reviewing the Cybertruck as a work truck and shared three things he loves and hates about the truck.
He praised aspects like him bulletproof exteriorcable drive system and attractive design.
However, after including a sponsored ad read and sending a preview of the video to the brand, Nelson said he realized the brand didn’t want to be included in the Cybertruck content.
“We would rather not be featured alongside the Cybertruck content at this time,” Nelson said in the video in a feature of the brand’s response. Business Insider confirmed that the brand sent an email declining to participate in the video, citing concerns about being linked to any Cybertruck content.
The brand’s response was understandable, Nelson said in his video review, and “speaks volumes to the polarization of Cybertruck.” Nelson told BI that the brand said it had previously had negative experiences linking to Cybertruck content. The company was interested in working with the YouTuber on other videos in the future, he added.
Nelson said in his Cybertruck review video that when Elon Musk wrote controversial posts on X, such as offering impregnates taylor swift or I ask why no one killed kamala harrisit can also affect the YouTuber’s business.
Zach Nelson’s Cybertruck has his wheelchair company’s logo on the side. screenshot/JerryRigEverything
In addition to his YouTube channel, Nelson has a wheelchair manufacturing company that he funds with revenue from his YouTube channel. This company uses four vehicles, each with a logo on the side.
“These kinds of statements are not normal, and at the moment when my business is being hit on the sidelines, it seems like I’m endorsing these kinds of claims — which I definitely don’t,” Nelson told his audience in the video.
Nelson told BI that “it wasn’t just those two comments” from Musk that he highlighted in his video. That’s it too Musk is increasingly political and it is difficult to “separate his very unique creation from his very unique political position”.
Nelson told BI that he’s happy to make YouTube videos about “controversial stuff all day long.” However, he wants to protect his own wheelchair businesswhich started about five years ago.
“I have the YouTube side of things where any exposure is good exposure,” Nelson said. “But then I have the wheelchair side of things, where negative exposure hurts business.”
Nelson told BI that he owns every other Tesla model and has never had any negative reactions to the vehicles other than the Cybertruck. While driving the electric pickup, however, he said he’s encountered instances of truckers “coaling” it, which is when someone pulls up next to it, hits the gas pedal, and covers the vehicle in a cloud of black smoke.
others Cybertruck drivers previously told BI they experienced similar negative interactions while driving the vehicle, including being rolled over. Some also reported being cut off on the road or insulted.
Nelson is now considering selling his Cybertruck and replacing it with a 2025 Silverado EV or Rivian. Nelson told BI that “the polarization factor is a really big deal, but it’s not like the whole deal.” In the video, he also mentions poor weather visibility as a major complaint. Nelson lives in Utah, where snow is common, and he said it can “build up” on the headlights. He also said the beacon could shine directly on the snowflakes as they fall, creating a “Star Wars warp speed effect”.
Cybertruck has sold well since its release, becoming something of a status symbol for celebrities.
Auto industry tracker Cox Automotive estimates that Tesla sold 17,000 electric pickup trucks in the third quarter, making it the third best-selling electric vehicle in the US — behind only the Model 3 and Y.