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Tesla Slammed By California Bakery for 'Disregarding the Livelihoods of Small Business Owners' in Pie Order Debacle — Here's How Elon Musk 'Made It Right' The incident occurred after Tesla placed an order for 4,000 mini pies at The Giving Pies.

By Amanda Breen

When Tesla placed an order for 2,000 mini pies at The Giving Pies, a Black-owned bakery in San Jose, California, owner Voahangy Rasetarinera "anticipated a smooth transaction," even after the order size doubled to 4,000.

Then the order was canceled on February 16 without payment — after Rasetarinera had spent time and money preparing for the massive request and turned down other business opportunities for Black History Month, she shared in an Instagram post.

RELATED: The Boss of a Takeaway Called Tesla Chicken & Pizza Loses Trademark Dispute Against Elon Musk's EV Company

"It was clear that Tesla's corporate culture prioritized convenience over accountability, disregarding the livelihoods of small business owners like myself," Rasetarinera wrote on Instagram. "This experience serves as a stark reminder of the vulnerability faced by small businesses when dealing with larger corporations."

Her story circulated on social media and caught the attention of billionaire Tesla CEO Elon Musk, who posted on X that he would "make things right."

Rasetarinera confirmed to The Guardian that Musk paid the $2,000 invoice.

RELATED: Elon Musk's Tesla Ownership Has Soared to 20.5% and Is Now Worth More Than $120 Billion, New Filing Shows

Media coverage of the incident brought an outpouring of support, with more than 300 people showing up to buy pies and donations rolling in from as far away as the Netherlands and Sweden, Rasetarinera told NBC Bay Area.
Amanda Breen

Entrepreneur Staff

Senior Features Writer

Amanda Breen is a senior features writer at Entrepreneur.com. She is a graduate of Barnard College and received an MFA in writing at Columbia University, where she was a news fellow for the School of the Arts.

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