YouTuber sponsor didn’t want to be in the Cybertruck video

• YouTuber Zack Nelson said he is considering selling his Cybertruck due to its polarizing nature.
• Nelson said a sponsor declined to participate in the video review because of the Cybertruck.
• Nelson, who owns other Teslas, said he didn’t want to give the impression that he supported Elon Musk’s controversial comments online.

A YouTuber said a sponsor withdrew from participating in one of his videos about the Cybertruck because of concerns about being associated with the vehicle.

Tech influencer Zack Nelson has been making YouTube videos for about 14 years — and the Cybertruck has become a “pretty important” part of his business, he told Business Insider.

After driving it 13,000 miles, Nelson filmed a test video of the Cybertruck as a work truck and shared three things he loves and hates about the truck.

He praised aspects such as the bulletproof exterior, the steer-by-wire propulsion system and the eye-catching design.

However, after including a sponsored ad and sending a preview of the video to the brand, Nelson said he learned that the brand did not want to be featured in Cybertruck content.

“’We’d rather not be featured alongside Cybertruck content at this point,’” Nelson characterized the brand’s reaction in the video. Business Insider confirmed that the brand sent an email declining to participate in the video and expressing concerns about being associated with Cybertruck content.

The brand’s reaction was understandable, Nelson said in his video review, and “speaks volumes about the polarization of the Cybertruck.” Nelson told BI that the brand said it had previously had negative experiences associated with being associated with Cybertruck content. The company is interested in collaborating with the YouTuber on more videos in the future, he added.

Nelson said in his Cybertruck review video that Elon Musk’s controversial posts can also impact the YouTuber’s business

In addition to his YouTube channel, Nelson runs a wheelchair manufacturing business, which he funds with income from his YouTube channel. This company uses four vehicles, each with a logo on the side.

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“Such statements are not normal, and at the moment, with my business on the side, it appears as if I support such views – which I certainly do not,” Nelson told his audience in the video.

Nelson told BI that “it wasn’t just those two comments” from Musk that he highlighted in his video. It is also the case that Musk has become increasingly political and it is difficult to “separate his very unique creation from his very own political stance.”

Nelson told BI that he enjoys making YouTube videos about “controversial things all day long.” However, he wants to protect his wheelchair business, which he started about five years ago.

“I have the YouTube page where any exposure is a good exposure,” Nelson said. “But then I also have the wheelchair side, where negative traffic hurts the business.”

Nelson told BI that he owns every other Tesla model and has never received negative reactions to the non-Cybertruck vehicles. However, while driving the electric pickup, he said he experienced instances where truck drivers would have “coal rolling over themselves” when someone pulled up next to them, hit the accelerator, and engulfed the vehicle in a cloud of black smoke.

Other Cybertruck drivers previously told BI that they experienced similar negative interactions while driving the vehicle, including being pulled off the road. Some also reported being cut off or insulted on the street.

Nelson is now considering selling his Cybertruck and replacing it with a 2025 Silverado EV or a Rivian. Nelson told BI: “The polarization factor is a really big deal, but it’s not the whole thing.” In the video, he also cited poor visibility in bad weather as a main complaint. Nelson lives in Utah, where snow is common, and he said it can “accumulate” on the headlight. He also said the spotlight could shine directly onto falling snowflakes, creating a “Star Wars warp speed effect.”

The Cybertruck has sold well since its launch and has become something of a status symbol for celebrities.

Auto industry tracker Cox Automotive estimates that Tesla sold 17,000 electric pickups in the third quarter, making it the third-best-selling electric vehicle in the U.S. – behind only the Model 3 and Y.