North Carolina is the latest state to line up against Tesla Motors by proposing a bill that would bar direct automaker-to-customer sales within the state
According to Slate, a bill pushed by the state’s Senate Commerce Committee – and backed, of course, by the North Carolina Automobile Dealers Association (NCADA) – would not only prevent Tesla from opening a showroom in North Carolina, it would go as far as banning Internet vehicle sales in the Tar Heel state.
So what happens when a new, disruptive, successful business model comes along? You of course try and kill it. And of course, that will fail.
This is exactly what we saw in the entertainment industry when people started sharing music on the internet. First, they tried to make it illegal, mostly successfully. Then they started taking their own customers to court. Then, eventually, begrudgingly, they adapted. This process took ten years and almost certainly cost them billions and the hearts and minds of their core customer base.
So brave.