The image of the flipped logo has been edited to add "eyes" so that it more closely resembles a KKK hood.
On April 1, 2025, TikTok user @thedisciplinedfatkid posted a video (archived) in which he showed the logo of electric-vehicle manufacturer Tesla flipped vertically, with the implication that it appeared like the hoods members of the Ku Klux Klan wear. The video received more than 15 million views and 1.7 million likes, as of this writing.
The rumor also spread to Facebook (archived), Reddit (archived), X (archived) and Bluesky (archived). Some of these posts published before the TikTok video, and the user, @thedisciplinedfatkid, said through TikTok messaging he found the image on Facebook. He did not claim credit creating the image.
An upside down logo
byu/ArcticDart inPoliticalHumor
Although the authentic Tesla logo does feature the letter "T" with a pointed end, it does not have the two small dots featured in these posts, which cause the flipped logo to more closely resemble a KKK hood by creating the appearance of eyeholes.
For comparison, below are the Tesla logo, the edited logo and an image of hooded members of the white supremacist group:
(Wikimedia Commons, TikTok user @thedisciplinedfatkid)
(Wikimedia Commons)
Because the image shared on TikTok manipulated the Tesla logo to add dots that resemble holes for eyes in a KKK hood, we rate this claim fake.
The image was shared widely as Tesla's CEO, Elon Musk, was in the news for his work as an adviser to U.S. President Donald Trump. We've covered other topics related to Tesla, including a rumor that billionaire Warren Buffett bought the electric-vehicle manufacturer, a claim that Germany shut down Tesla production and the purported mugshot of a man arrested for vandalizing a Tesla dealership.