Silicon Valley bakery faces potential setback from massive Tesla order: Awaiting Elon Musk's intervention

The Giving Pies bakery, a cherished destination in America's Silicon Valley, owner Voahangy Rasetarinera, confirmed that Tesla, owned by billionaire Elon Musk, ordered about 2,000 pies from her on 14th February. These were meant for a Black History Month commemorative event. Due to this massive order, Rasetarinera's business might face setbacks.

A dispirited Rasetarinera narrated her experience with Tesla in an extensive Facebook post. She explained that on Valentine's Day: "A quote request for a large mini pies order (approximately 2,000 pieces), projected for delivery the following Tuesday and Thursday [20th and 22nd February], was made by Laura from Tesla. I gave the quotation and waited for a standard transaction after its approval." Reports allege that problems began with the payment process being transferred to one of Tesla's suppliers, City Flavor.

Rasetarinera mentioned being worried when she did not receive the payment for the order on 15th February. She expressed on Facebook, "On 15th February, at 11:05 PM Greenwich Time, I received a call from Laura who first apologized for their supplier’s delayed payment, attributed this to them being a new team member, and then requested to double the order size, suggesting the pies be packed in boxes of two, assuring cost was not a problem."

The reassured bakery owner took action. "Even though notice was short and it was late, I talked to my employees who reassured me we could handle the larger order". She sent a modified invoice the next day, 16th February, requesting payment by 12 PM to secure additional materials for production.

Rasetarinera invested in ingredients and declined other Black History Month-related catering opportunities, anticipating the Tesla order. Despite not receiving the payment within the set timeframe, she tried reaching out to Laura, who did not respond. Later, she reportedly received a text message from a Tesla employee who, ‘nonchalantly’, informed her about the cancellation of the order. "Tesla's assurances led me to invest time, resources, and effort, only to be left in the lurch," Rasetarinera concluded.

Elon Musk, the billionaire owner of Tesla, addressed the issue on 23rd February by responding to a post on the portal X, which detailed Rasetarinera's experience with The Giving Pie. Musk wrote, "I just got wind of this. I will personally deal with the bakery issue. People should be able to consistently rely on Tesla performing its best." According to a report by nypost.pl portal, by the night of 24th February, Rasetarinera had still not received any direct communication from Musk.