It was shown during the Super Bowl
US entrepreneur Dan O'Dowd spent more than $500,000 on a video that was shown during the Super Bowl. It is worth noting that Dan O'Dowd, leader of the Dawn Project , for the second year in a row, publishes such videos during the Super Bowl calling for a boycott of Tesla cars.
The video showed footage of numerous and serious fatal accidents involving Tesla vehicles. O'Dowd said he wanted to attract public attention because he believes that Tesla's Autopilot — «the most incompetent software» he had ever seen. He founded Green Hills Software, a company developing operating systems for cars and aircraft.
Tesla and its CEO Elon Musk did not respond to requests for comment. Musk's followers accused O'Dowd of a conflict of interest with Tesla, since one of Green Hills Software's clients is Mobileye, which also develops driver assistance software. O'Dowd said he was motivated solely by concerns about Tesla technology.
O'Daoud said: «If people knew the truth, if they understood the consequences, they would demand that it be banned. This is our job. Politicians will only act if the public takes action».
The video highlights three major accidents, presumably involving autopilot. One of them occurred in North Carolina, where a Tesla hit a 17-year-old boy as he got off a school bus with a stop sign and lights flashing. The ad ends with the words: “Tesla remains indifferent. Boycott Tesla and keep your children safe».
Also comes to mind the 2019 crash in which a 50-year-old father died when his Tesla crashed into a trailer.