By Jonathan Goodman, Founder of Halyard Consulting
March 25, 2025
Earlier this week, I was honored to be featured in a Business Insider article titled “3 retail investors share what led them to cash out of Tesla on its way to a 50% drop,” written by journalist Christine Ji. The piece explored the motivations behind individual investors exiting their Tesla positions—and for me, the reason wasn’t about market timing or financial performance.
It was about values.
Let me explain.
⚖️ Investing Is Never Just About Money
Tesla is an impressive company, no doubt. Its innovation in the electric vehicle space, energy storage, and AI-driven autonomy have pushed entire industries forward. I held Tesla stock because I believed in that vision—and in Elon Musk’s ability to lead transformational change.
But leadership, in business and beyond, doesn’t exist in a vacuum. It matters not just what a company builds, but how its leaders behave. In late 2024, I made the decision to sell my Tesla shares in response to Elon Musk’s increasingly public alignment with political movements and ideologies I could not support—culminating in a controversial public gesture that crossed a line for me.
As I told Christine Ji during our interview:
“If Elon Musk were to resign from Tesla tomorrow, I would buy the stock again.”
That wasn’t hyperbole—it was a statement of principle. The fundamentals of the company remain strong, but I could no longer separate the brand from the actions of its most visible leader.
💡 What This Has to Do With Halyard Consulting
At Halyard Consulting, we specialize in building intelligent, AI-powered automation systems for small and medium-sized businesses. But our focus isn’t just on speed, scale, or efficiency. It’s on integrity. We’re committed to ethical AI—transparent systems, data privacy, and tools that empower people, not manipulate them.
The values that led me to walk away from Tesla stock are the same values that guide how we build our products, serve our clients, and show up as a company.
Technology should solve problems—but it must also reflect our highest standards of behavior, inclusivity, and accountability.
🔍 Values Are Good Business
There’s a misconception that walking away from opportunity based on ethics is bad business. I disagree.
Taking a stand reinforces your brand. It builds trust with your team, your partners, and your clients. It also filters in the right kind of relationships—the ones based on shared vision and mutual respect.
In today’s AI-driven, socially connected world, leadership isn’t just about vision. It’s about values. And when the two don’t align, I believe it’s our responsibility to act.
📣 Read the Full Article
You can read the full Business Insider article by Christine Ji here:
👉 3 Retail Investors Share What Led Them to Cash Out of Tesla
💬 Let’s Talk About Leadership
If you’re a business owner, leader, or investor grappling with the intersection of profit and principle—let’s talk. At Halyard, we believe in building systems that are not just intelligent, but ethical. And we’re always open to working with others who feel the same.