I think that was a mistake. Taking away the beta privileges would have been sufficient.
> blurred the line b/w normal business operation and politics by disabling FSD
You're way down playing the impact of the kind of mindset that the average joe has about FSD Beta as portrayed in mainstream media. It's so hostile, emotionally charged and void of any evidence of actual danger, that it pushes the bias needle against Tesla to the breaking point. If your blood sweat and tear is being pummeled around the clock, you get into politics in a blink and double down with whatever you can muster.
Those who think Tesla is just in it for the money, well, there is no conversation to be had with them. They'll catch up. But if one actually believes in what Tesla claims to exist for, then it doesn't take a lot of thinking to see they're right in pushing back aggressively as they do.