Three left-wing nonprofits, with a combined annual revenue of $56.1 million, organized a protest at Elon Musk's Austin-area home. The event, framed by organizers as a "People Over Billionaires Election After Party," featured chartered buses, music, speeches, and theatrical Cybertruck piñatas.
The organizations involved – VOCAL-TX, the Center for Popular Democracy Inc., and People’s Action – are part of a broader network that has increasingly coordinated street protests. These demonstrations often present a narrative of grassroots support, while Democratic politicians have threatened investigations into some of Trump’s corporate backers, including Musk.
Leaders from the involved organizations did not provide comment to Fox News Digital regarding the event, though they have previously stated their local protests are organically organized. A widely circulated poster depicting Musk with the message "I AM STEALING FROM YOU" was present at the Austin protest, as it has been at demonstrations nationwide.
This demonstration followed similar "Tesla Takedown" protests that occurred in early 2025. According to a previous investigation, 258 organizations with an estimated $2.6 billion in combined annual revenues were behind those earlier protests. While the Austin event was described as peaceful, with participants arriving on party buses and engaging in activities like a "Love Train" conga line, the rhetoric employed in some protests has been linked by researchers to a "permission structure" for political violence.
The Center for Popular Democracy reported $40.9 million in 2024 revenue, People’s Action Institute reported $2.1 million, and VOCAL-NY, which fiscally sponsors VOCAL-TX, reported $13.1 million. These figures represent individual entities and not a shared operating budget.
The protest also referenced Musk's political spending, which has been estimated at approximately $474 million, with a significant portion supporting Ken Paxton's unsuccessful Senate campaign. Some participants carried signs that read "Texas is not for sale" and "Alright Texas! Now let’s tax Musk."