A YouTube star raised US$9,000 to buy Elon Musk a couch—here’s how he responded
What started as a joke from reports on the CEO’ sleeping arrangements ended up with US$18,000 going to charity
PUBLISHED : Tuesday, 15 May, 2018, 11:21am
UPDATED : Tuesday, 15 May, 2018, 11:23am
Related topics
By Zameena Mejia
Tesla CEO Elon Musk has been pulling all-nighters at the Tesla factory lately, sometimes sleeping on a conference room couch or on the floor, in order to catch up with car production targets. When YouTube video blogger and Tesla fan Ben Sullins caught wind of Musk’s uncomfortable sleeping arrangements, he started a tongue-in-cheek fundraising campaign to get the billionaire a new, comfy couch.
Can Tesla take over the world? It all depends on Elon Musk finding a lieutenant
“The idea was that he should have a decent place to sleep when he’s pulling all-nighters,” Sullins tells CNBC Make It .
Online fans raised over US$9,000 in less than a week, and twice that amount ended up going to a good cause: Musk thanked Sullins for the new couch and matched the funds from his foundation, bringing the total donation to charity to more than US$18,000.
Wow, thanks for the couch! I will match the donation from my foundation.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 10, 2018
Sullins, a full-time YouTube content producer and data scientist, says that he started the campaign on April 16 as a joke: “I thought zero people would donate.”
He shared it on his YouTube channel “Teslanomics,” while vlogging about Musk’s April 13 “CBS This Morning” interview with host Gayle King. There, Musk told King about the company’s setbacks and his reaction to the pressure.
“I’m definitely under stress, so if I seem like I’m not under stress, then I’m gonna be clear, I’m definitely under stress,” Musk told King. “When things get really intense, I don’t have time to go home and shower and change, so I just sleep here.”
This wasn’t the first time Musk had admitted to staying at the factory overnight. “My desk is at the end of the production line,” Musk said during a Tesla earnings call in 2016 . “I have a sleeping bag in a conference room next to the production line that I use quite frequently.”
Between US$7,609 in donations from 591 people on the GoFundMe site and an additional US$1,500 donation collected by the Tesla Club Sweden (neither group is affiliated with Tesla), Sullins collected a total of US$9,109 in less than a week. Then online furniture company Wayfair offered to donate a new couch, and donors voted to pay the money forward to the U.K.-based renewable energy organisation Renewable World.
Once Tesla confirmed that it would accept the new couch, Sullins booked a flight from San Diego to head to the Fremont factory where Musk has been pulling his all-nighters to help orchestrate delivery.
Elon Musk tells staff Tesla is undergoing ‘thorough reorganisation’
Sullins didn’t meet Musk, but he was still surprised and pleased to get a shout out from him over Twitter: “I consider him to live on a different planet so the fact that he responded was pretty special.”
Though Sullins doesn’t do any sponsored brand partnerships with Tesla, he currently owns one of their cars and recently qualified to win a free Tesla Roadster through the company’s referral programme.
Ultimately, the vlogger says he’s glad his joke turned into a more meaningful project.
“Everyone was sort of in shock that this many people donated, but happy that we were able to do good with the money,” he says. “I think it highlighted just how deeply people believe in the Tesla mission and look to Elon as the leader. I don’t have a big audience, but they are passionate and dedicated, so for that, I’m grateful.”
Like this story? Like CNBC Make It on Facebook!
Don’t miss:
Most Popular
Viewed
- 1
![Jack Ma, executive chairman of Alibaba Group, waves to the audience during the closing ceremony for the 18th Asian Games in Jakarta, Indonesia. Photo: AP]( "Jack Ma, executive chairman of Alibaba Group, waves to the audience during the closing ceremony for the 18th Asian Games in Jakarta, Indonesia. Photo: AP")
- 2
![Ma’s planned stepping down in his 50s is a rare case in the Chinese business world, where tycoons often remain in control well into old age.]( "Ma’s planned stepping down in his 50s is a rare case in the Chinese business world, where tycoons often remain in control well into old age.")
- 3
![Chinese smartphone brands have chipped away at Apple’s market share in China by introducing feature-laden models, but are striving to convince consumers to shell out top dollar and enshrine their brands with the same premium cachet reserved for the iPhone]( "Chinese smartphone brands have chipped away at Apple’s market share in China by introducing feature-laden models, but are striving to convince consumers to shell out top dollar and enshrine their brands with the same premium cachet reserved for the iPhone")
- 4
![CEO Charles Hung Tak-chow, pictured, says that by turning from a traditional into a digital insurer, customers will benefit from lower policy prices. Photo: K. Y. Cheng.]( "CEO Charles Hung Tak-chow, pictured, says that by turning from a traditional into a digital insurer, customers will benefit from lower policy prices. Photo: K. Y. Cheng.")
- 5
![Senior executives of the Alibaba Partnership at a philanthropy event on September 10, 2018, including group Secretary-General Shao Xiaofeng (first left), Wholesale Marketplace President Trudy Dai (second left), Executive Chairman Jack Ma (centre), Chief Executive Officer Daniel Zhang (second right), Chief People Officer Judy Tong (first right). Photo: SCMP/Alibaba Handout]( "Senior executives of the Alibaba Partnership at a philanthropy event on September 10, 2018, including group Secretary-General Shao Xiaofeng (first left), Wholesale Marketplace President Trudy Dai (second left), Executive Chairman Jack Ma (centre), Chief Executive Officer Daniel Zhang (second right), Chief People Officer Judy Tong (first right). Photo: SCMP/Alibaba Handout")
Shared
- 1
![Jack Ma, executive chairman of Alibaba Group, waves to the audience during the closing ceremony for the 18th Asian Games in Jakarta, Indonesia. Photo: AP]( "Jack Ma, executive chairman of Alibaba Group, waves to the audience during the closing ceremony for the 18th Asian Games in Jakarta, Indonesia. Photo: AP")
- 2
![Ma’s planned stepping down in his 50s is a rare case in the Chinese business world, where tycoons often remain in control well into old age.]( "Ma’s planned stepping down in his 50s is a rare case in the Chinese business world, where tycoons often remain in control well into old age.")
- 3
![CEO Charles Hung Tak-chow, pictured, says that by turning from a traditional into a digital insurer, customers will benefit from lower policy prices. Photo: K. Y. Cheng.]( "CEO Charles Hung Tak-chow, pictured, says that by turning from a traditional into a digital insurer, customers will benefit from lower policy prices. Photo: K. Y. Cheng.")
- 4
![Chinese smartphone brands have chipped away at Apple’s market share in China by introducing feature-laden models, but are striving to convince consumers to shell out top dollar and enshrine their brands with the same premium cachet reserved for the iPhone]( "Chinese smartphone brands have chipped away at Apple’s market share in China by introducing feature-laden models, but are striving to convince consumers to shell out top dollar and enshrine their brands with the same premium cachet reserved for the iPhone")
- 5
![Ma, the co-founder of Asia’s most valuable company and one of China’s most recognisable names, will remain Alibaba’s executive chairman for 12 months until September 10, 2019]( "Ma, the co-founder of Asia’s most valuable company and one of China’s most recognisable names, will remain Alibaba’s executive chairman for 12 months until September 10, 2019")
Commented
- 1
![After one of the most powerful storms on record to hit the city, suspensions and delays mean confusion and long waits for residents]( "After one of the most powerful storms on record to hit the city, suspensions and delays mean confusion and long waits for residents")
- 2
![China’s ambassador to Sweden Gui Congyou wants a meeting with local authorities to discuss the alleged mistreatment of the Chinese tourists. Photo: Handout]( "China’s ambassador to Sweden Gui Congyou wants a meeting with local authorities to discuss the alleged mistreatment of the Chinese tourists. Photo: Handout")
- 3
![If the US does go ahead with tariffs on US$200 billion of Chinese goods, they will be the biggest round since the first batch on Chinese exports in July. Photo: Reuters]( "If the US does go ahead with tariffs on US$200 billion of Chinese goods, they will be the biggest round since the first batch on Chinese exports in July. Photo: Reuters")
- 4
![The Japanese submarine Kuroshio took part in military exercises in the South China Sea. Photo: Handout]( "The Japanese submarine Kuroshio took part in military exercises in the South China Sea. Photo: Handout")
- 5
![Taiwan has been trying for readmission to the United Nations since 1993 but has recently changed tactics with the launch of a charm offensive by officials and a letter-writing campaign to the world’s media. Photo: AFP]( "Taiwan has been trying for readmission to the United Nations since 1993 but has recently changed tactics with the launch of a charm offensive by officials and a letter-writing campaign to the world’s media. Photo: AFP")
You may also like
How you can protect your smart devices from cyberattack
In partnership with: HKT PREMIER
Giorgio Armani’s autumn/winter collection transcend borders
Brought to you by: Giorgio Armani
Comments: