The definitive EV thread. No spin. No BS., page-2996

Let's discuss Fred Lambert, a biased EV fanboy, that appears to have recently jumped ship.

Fred Lambert is the head writer for Electrek.

Full article here on the grubby history of this guy:
https://www.thedrive.com/tech/21838/the-truth-behind-electreks-dark-alliance-with-tesla




Whilst this article is 7 years old, it sets up what and who Fred Lambert is, and why anything he writes should be taken with a grain of salt.

Since the articles publication, he is obviously involved in the shift away from Musk and his toxic brand following Musks recent disgusting Nazi style behavior in Washington earlier this year.

"...Typically, outlets have to walk a line between playing the access game and maintaining enough independence to convince readers that they serve them first. But since Tesla fandom is so fervently devoted, Electrek need not worry that much about toeing this line: as far as many fans are concerned, serving Tesla is serving them.

Still, not all Tesla fans agree that the company’s interests are more important than their own, and some say that Electrek’s sycophantic coverage ultimately does a disservice to the company they love.

Several prominent Tesla fans and supporters spoke with The Drive , but all wanted to remain anonymous for fear that Lambert would personally and publicly lash out at them.

Each one told me that Electrek’s mix of advocacy and reporting blurs important lines between journalism and fan media, pointing out that there are sites that are upfront about being “fan sites” and more balanced sites that adhere to journalistic standards.

“He needs to pick a side,” says one pro-Tesla Electrek critic.

The controversy that unites these pro-Tesla Electrek critics with Tesla detractors and other automotive media figures is Lambert’s use of Tesla “referral codes,” an affiliate marketing scheme whereby Tesla buyers who use a referral code get a discount or perk (such as free Supercharging) and the referrer gets rewards for each sale they refer.

These rewards can add up: from small stuff like free “Arachnid” wheels, toy Tesla cars, and invites to company events to the very real Tesla Powerwall (a home battery system that apparently can be exchanged for cash) and, if you refer enough purchases, even a free next-gen Tesla Roadster with a sticker price of $250,000.

These generous benefits effectively turn participants into incentivized sales lead generators (a fact that prompted California’s car dealer association to complain that the practice creates unlicensed car sales people).

Other critics argue that the referral introduces a significant conflict of interest for participating media figures".
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"In Lambert and Weintraub’s mind, Electrek’s readers understand the site’s biases and just don’t care. Maybe that’s true, and that Electrek’s readers already know the dirty side of Lambert’s gamble, that his crusade against Saleen was predicated on a criticism (using deposits to fund operations makes it a Ponzi scheme) that now applies just as much to Tesla. Perhaps they know about his own Tesla stock pumping and his petty double-standard on attributio

If they know all these things and still want to read and support Electrek, that’s their prerogative. And if they didn’t know where Electrek was coming from, at least now they do. They can never say they weren’t warned.