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.
“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.
Just hearing about this. Will make things good with the bakery.
People should always be able to count on Tesla trying its best.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 23, 2024
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.
This story originally appeared on Entrepreneur
