Prominent investment advisor Gary Black has once again called on Tesla to ramp up its marketing efforts. The managing director of The Future Fund LLC made his case in a recent social media post.
Black's Direct Message to Elon Musk
Gary Black posted his thoughts on platform X, formerly Twitter. He warned that superior engineering cannot guarantee commercial success in today's competitive landscape.
"Engineering alone will not win in the age of robots and AI," Black stated clearly. He believes Tesla needs to communicate its value proposition more effectively to potential buyers.
Learning from Steve Jobs
Black invoked Apple founder Steve Jobs to strengthen his argument. He quoted Jobs' famous customer-first philosophy.
"You start with the customer experience and work back toward the technology - not the other way around," Jobs once said. Black used this quote to send a direct message to Tesla CEO Elon Musk.
Even revolutionary products require smart marketing to reach their full market potential, according to Black's interpretation.
The FSD Adoption Challenge
Black highlighted a specific concern about Tesla's Full Self-Driving technology. Despite significant advances in unsupervised autonomy during 2025, adoption rates remain surprisingly low.
Tesla's FSD currently has a take rate of just 15 percent. This statistic troubles Black and other Tesla observers.
"A product with great engineering won't sell itself," Black wrote emphatically. He sees this as evidence that Tesla's challenge isn't technological innovation but customer persuasion.
The Brand Versus Product Distinction
Black also referenced author Stephen King's perspective on branding. King famously distinguished between products and brands in business literature.
"A product is something made in a factory; a brand is something that is bought by the customer," King observed. "A product can be copied by a competitor; a brand is unique."
Black stressed that Tesla must invest in brand equity and marketing muscle. These investments would increase the company's intrinsic value over time, he argued.
Not the First Warning
This isn't Gary Black's initial critique of Tesla's marketing approach. He has repeatedly urged the electric vehicle giant to strengthen its brand presence.
Black worries that Tesla risks falling behind rivals without more aggressive marketing. This concern grows as the automotive industry shifts toward robotics and autonomous vehicles.
The investment advisor maintains that Tesla's technological lead means little if consumers don't understand or value it properly. Effective marketing bridges that gap between innovation and adoption.
