Why does Scott Galloway call the new Tesla Roadster demo a circus act rather than a product?

Scott Galloway told Pivot the Roadster was unveiled in 2017, promised for 2020, delayed several times and is now targeted for 2028, with no price announced. He said the cold-gas thrusters that let it leap over other Teslas fill the car, give only seconds of thrust and have no practical use, calling the stunt a marketing expense timed two days before Tesla's third-quarter results while deliveries fall and BYD outsells Tesla in EVs.

• Tesla's own fine print says it cannot guarantee when, or whether, a reserved Roadster will be delivered.
• Galloway said Tesla has held roughly $250 million in Roadster deposits for almost nine years.
• Kara Swisher said her son Alex, a mechanical engineer, was unimpressed and compared the stunt to monster truck rallies.

▸In their words

“And when a CEO has to add for real, that's the tell.” Scott Galloway · at 18:56 — open in the transcript →

Source: our own transcription of the episode. The full conversation is on Pivot (2026-10-20). Read the whole episode summary →

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