As Elon Musk and his supporters scrutinize the federal government in search of agencies to dismantle, a grassroots movement is gaining momentum to impact the world’s wealthiest individual where it matters most.

The courts are engaged in contesting the actions of Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency, but the judicial process is slow, and citizens are growing impatient.

Some individuals in the U.S. who are appalled by Musk’s government restructuring have resorted to selling their Teslas or engaging in vandalism.

However, hundreds of others are planning to protest at Tesla dealerships across the country on February 15, a movement that quickly gained traction this past week through the efforts of disinformation researcher Joan Donovan and documentary filmmaker Alex Winter on Bluesky.

“As citizens, we possess various points of leverage,” Donovan stated in an interview with TechCrunch. “One involves communicating with our representatives, while another entails publicly drawing attention to the dismantling of the federal government’s data and the lack of transparency in Musk’s operations, which seem to be conducted with impunity.”

The movement, which originated on Bluesky, has spread to planned protests outside Tesla showrooms in cities such as Austin, Portland, Seattle, Kansas City, and Mesa, Arizona.

Tesla and Musk did not respond to requests for comment, and TechCrunch will provide updates if a response is received.

Donovan, who is also an assistant professor of journalism at Boston University and is acting in her capacity as a U.S. citizen, was motivated to take action after witnessing small protests outside Tesla stores earlier in the week.

“I was inspired by a protest in Maine, where individuals brought signs to a Tesla charging station, sparking conversations and allowing people to discuss the current situation,” Donovan said.

Donovan began posting on social media earlier in the week, stating, “If Musk believes he can rapidly dismantle the government and download personal data, we can certainly make our presence known on the sidewalks in front of Tesla dealerships.”

She linked to Tesla’s list of U.S. stores and added the hashtag “#TeslaTakeover.”

Winter, who collaborated with Donovan to organize screenings of his documentary The YouTube Effect, saw the posts and reached out to her to help coordinate the effort.

“Sell your Teslas, dump your stock, and join the picket lines,” Winter posted on Bluesky. “Hurting Tesla will ultimately stop Musk, and stopping Musk will help save lives and our democracy.”

After the post, Winter and Donovan encouraged people to set up local Tesla Takeover events, resulting in 42 protests being planned across the U.S. as of Friday afternoon.

Winter partnered with The Disruption Project, a group providing training for mass activism, and said hundreds of people have RSVP’d to the events, with more being organized each day.

The protests aim to go beyond showcasing optics and building community, as Musk’s wealth is significantly tied to his ownership of Tesla stock, making him vulnerable to fluctuations in the company’s stock price.

If Tesla’s stock price were to drop significantly, Musk’s lenders could demand repayment or renegotiation of loan terms, potentially impacting his wealth and influence.

“The ultimate goal is to devalue Tesla, create a vote of no confidence in the company’s future, and prompt a widespread selling of shares, which would genuinely hurt Musk,” Winter said.

Winter’s background in documentary filmmaking, including projects on the Panama Papers and YouTube’s algorithmic feed, has prepared him for this educational effort.

He is also involved in the “Free our Feeds” initiative, aiming to build an open social media system on Bluesky’s AT Protocol.

Donovan believes Musk is exploiting the fact that many Americans are unaware of how the government functions, spreading misinformation that may lead to violence.

She hopes that people will come together, acting locally but thinking globally, to resist and find ways to hold the government accountable.

“My hope is that people will come together at these protests, acting locally but thinking globally, and find other ways to resist,” Donovan said. “I think one of the things Musk has overlooked is that power isn’t derived from the federal government, but from the states, and there’s a lot that state agencies can do to rein in the power of the federal government and force accountability.”