Elon Musk Goes Full Texan With ‘Cyber Rodeo’ Merchandise for Tesla Factory Opening

Brendan Menapace

Elon Musk commemorated the opening of the new Tesla “Gigafactory” outside of Austin, Texas, the only way he knows how: With a ton of pageantry and attention-grabbing branded products.

The amateur astronaut, emerald mine heir, crypto wonk, online troll and sometimes-entrepreneur hosted what he dubbed a “Cyber Rodeo” to celebrate Tesla’s new Texas footprint. Complete with an impressive light show that also doubled as a Dogecoin advertisement, there was what some attendees estimated to be a 40-minute wait for branded merchandise that included a $90 hoodie, a $75 gigafactory belt buckle and a $50 Tesla branding iron, according to Entrepreneur.

The branding iron feels a little dangerous, not unlike the Boring Company flamethrowers….

Whatever your feelings about Elon Musk, you have to admit the guy has a mind for marketing. The Texan motifs on the merchandise create demand beyond just your run-of-themill Tesla gear that anyone could get. This shows that you were there, like a good concert T-shirt or sporting event souvenir.

The prices are a bit steep, but not totally out of the ordinary for special-event swag. Heck, McDonald’s was charging an arm and a leg for its musical artist tie-in gear. Musk and Tesla have a committed-enough fanbase that those asking prices aren’t too unusual.

Tesla has become as much a lifestyle brand as it has a car company, so none of this should surprise anyone. We’ll just be over here waiting to see what Musk does next—not in space travel or automotive design, but in branding.

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