Tesla boss Elon Musk has made an apparent jab against whistleblowers with the sale of a $50 (£38) whistle through the electric car maker’s website.
The Cyberwhistle, inspired by the as-yet unreleased Tesla Cybertruck, sold out within hours of going on sale and is already being listed on reselling sites for several times its retail price.
Musk promoted the whistle on Twitter before it sold out, tweeting: “Blow the whistle on Tesla!”
He also poked fun at Apple’s $19 microfibre polishing cloth, adding: “Don’t waste your money on that silly Apple Cloth, buy our whistle instead.”
Tesla has faced lawsuits in recent months brought about by whistleblowers, who have made accusations of sexual harassment and racist abuse at the world’s most valuable car company.
The description for the Cyberwhistle on Tesla’s online store states that it is a limited-edition “premium collectible” made from “medical-grade stainless steel with a polished finish”.
It also comes with “an integrated attachment feature for added versatility.”
It is not the first time Musk has raised funds for his various companies through unusual merchandise.
In 2017, his tunnel-digging startup The Boring Company released “the world’s most boring hat”, which quickly sold out and generated $1 million of revenue for the nascent company.
A few months later, the startup launched a $500 flamethrower that sold out within a week, providing a $10m windfall for The Boring Company.
Similar to other merchandise stunts from Musk’s companies, listings on reselling sites like eBay appeared soon after the Tesla Cyberwhistle sold out on Tesla’s website.
They currently range in price from between £150 and £800 on the online auction site.
