Thousands of anti-Tesla protesters took to the streets Saturday March 29th in opposition to Elon Musk and his efforts with DOGE to eliminate humanitarian aid, close federal agencies, and fire government workers. It was the culmination of nearly two months of steady, almost daily demonstrations aimed at hurting Tesla’s sales — and ultimately Musk himself. Today was billed as a “Global Day of Action” with protests targeting hundreds of Tesla locations in the US, Canada, and Europe.

The Verge wanted to check the temperature and see how these protesters were thinking about this current moment, and whether they felt their boycott was having its desired effect. Tesla sales have slid significantly since the protests started, and its stock has shed a lot of its value. But Musk shows no signs of being deterred, as he ramps up his threats to sic the government on anti-Tesla forces.

So we fanned out across the globe, from London to New York to Washington, DC to Los Angeles — and Paramus, NJ and Akron, Ohio too — to observe the movement as it enters it third month and talk to the people who opted to spend a good chunk of a Saturday afternoon waving signs and shouting about Musk and Tesla. We even saw several counter protesters who came out to support Musk — and Tesla.

London’s Tesla Takedown protest was a small affair, with 50-odd protestors, one dinosaur, and an inflatable Elon making that salute all perched outside a Tesla showroom in Park Royal, a neighborhood otherwise dominated by big box retailers, self-storage units, and ghost kitchens. But it’s come a long way since its humble beginnings six weeks ago, when it was just two protestors getting “kicked out of the Westfield shopping mall by security,” according to organizer John Gorenfeld.

Gorenfeld is a Californian, but this protest was English to a fault: polite, peaceful, and a little quiet. There was no police presence, and nor was one needed; even a Tesla pulling in didn’t attract much ire from the crowd. Fortunately, passing drivers were there to provide the noise — a “Honk If You Hate Elon” sign was answered by a chorus of cars, trucks, and at least one city bus. Londoners may not have come out in force, but it’s pretty clear where the city’s sympathies lie.

On a busy shopping street in Georgetown, DC, protesters are dancing outside a Tesla showroom to everything from “Hot to go,” to “Under Pressure,” to the viral TikTok hostile takeover song. They’re wearing a mix of shiny boas, boat captain hats, and floral shirts. The loosely boat-themed dance party has been attracting a steady stream of honks from passing cars, and many pedestrians are stopping to gleefully take pictures. “Nazi cars sold here,” says one sign, “Porsche = fast, Ferrari = faster, Tesla = fascist,” says another.

“Part of how fascism operates is they want people to be fearful,” says Sara Steffens, part of a team that calls themselves Dance Against DOGE. Steffens dons a floral outfit and a captain’s hat that she says symbolizes how the people are in charge of their destiny, rather than Trump and Musk. “Bullies operate on fear and they want us to be afraid of them … so this is like a full force showing.”

The mix of attendees appears to span many ages, and one of the groups rallying older generations to get involved is Third Act. Mark, an attendee affiliated with Third Act who declined to give his last name, said it was important to be at the protest “as someone with two grandchildren, trying to do something so that they can grow up in a place that’s safe.”

Cruise down Route 17 in north New Jersey and you’ll see a ton of car dealerships. But for the past few weeks, none have seen quite as much action as the Tesla dealership near Paramus. Each weekend, protestors of all ages have been holding up signs at the side of the highway, encouraging drivers to sell their Teslas, dump their stock, and honk against fascism. Today, the vibe is a little different.

The pro-Trumpers are here too — and the lines are clearly drawn.

“Last week, it was just us here,” says Ethan, a protester wearing a Super Mario Bros. Luigi cap and holding a sign that reads “Cyberfucked.” “Now all these Trump guys are here, walking around, doing whatever they want.”

Ethan, who declined to give his last name, says he’s been hassled by the Trump and Musk supporters. They’ve called him slurs, thrown water at him, and tried to grab his sign before a fellow protestor calmed the situation down. He says one Trump supporter told him his Luigi hat was offensive to Italian Americans. When I ask Ethan why he’s here today, he says “Because I fucking hate Elon Musk.” Then after a bit of thought, he adds, “We’re kind of screwed. It might not be much, but I want to at least say something and be heard by someone.”

On the other side, the Trump camp isn’t as concerned about holding up signs. They’re more milling about, grouping off into mini clusters. (They do, however, have many signs that read “Thank you Elon” and “Trump won.”) When I ask to speak to the organizer, I’m directed to John Tabacco — who wears a light blue blazer with prints of President Trump’s face.

“We need to show that there is support for what Elon Musk and DOGE is doing,” Tabacco says. He also takes issue when I characterize the pro-Trump crowd as a counterprotest. “This is a rally for us. A support rally for Trump, DOGE, and America-first policies. And I think those people,” he says, pointing to the anti-Tesla group, “Those people showed up today as counter-protesters.”

Tesla service center here is closed on weekends. It’s just off Route 18, at an intersection that services a shopping center with a Home Depot, Chick-fil-A, a local bar chain called The Winking Lizard, and more. The turnout is surprising, about 40-50 people (and two very good dogs) are lined up on both sides of the street waving signs and ringing cowbells. There’s a man with a bullhorn rousing the crowd with slogans, “When immigrants are under attack, what do we do?” he yells. “Fight back!” The crowd responds.

There’s a variety of people here, including a lot more gray and white hair folks using scooters and wheelchairs. A woman in a high-visibility vest said she and a lot of the older people here came on behalf of Third Act Ohio, an activist group for folks over 60. It’s hard to hear her as people continuously drive by, honking their horns in support.

Arriving 20 minutes before the event, it was quiet, even though organizers were expecting the crowd to be large, with last week’s attendance estimated around 1,300. They were right. Within ten minutes the plaza was full of attendees with a diversity of signage ranging from “Deport Elon Musk”, “Stop the Attack on Democracy”, “Hands off our Social Security” plus many others.

Even though the crowd is large, organizers emphasize their message over the speakers; this is a peaceful non-violent protest. This is similar to what one of the organizers told me as well, “Despite what the administration is saying, we’re not domestic terrorists, we are absolutely peaceful, nonviolent, we provide guidance and say no harassment of the Tesla showroom. We just want to make our voices heard.”

Alice Grimm said this is about bringing down the power of the billionaire. “From Elon Musk’s perspective, any dollar that doesn’t go to him is wasted and efficiency is whatever fills his pocket. And so Tesla, where most of his wealth is, if what he cares about is that element, then trying to drive down the stock price of Tesla, that attacks Elon’s power.”

Long Beach and Lakewood, California:

“I was on my way to another anti-Elon protest,” a woman named Nati said, while holding two signs at a Supercharger location in Lakewood. “I had to stop here when I saw everyone out.”

As Tesla owners pulled in and out, around 100 people stood on the sidewalk protesting. Most Tesla owners remained in their cars or went into nearby stores, largely avoiding the large crowd chanting, “This is what Democracy looks like,” and waving at passing cars that honked in support.

A man who asked to be identified as Sam set up a folding table and sold anti-Musk and Trump goods to passersby, though most at the Supercharger had brought their own homemade signs and wore shirts with “Gulf of Mexico,” and “Biden Harris,” emblazoned on them.

At a Tesla dealership a few miles away, in Long Beach, around 250 people lined the sidewalks on both sides of a busy four-lane road near a Home Depot and Costco that is packed on the weekends. As drivers drove past, people honked, cheered, and pumped their fists out their car windows, showing support.

The protests in Long Beach were peaceful, with protestors remaining on public property, cheering as people honked in support, but a tiny number of Trump and Musk supporters did show up to troll the crowds.

At the Supercharger location, a family decided to engage the protesters, yelling that they were “stupid. ” Their young daughter, who looked to be around ten years old, screamed profanities at the protesters. A pair of police SUVs were parked across the street, keeping an eye on things, and one lone Musk supporter lingered nearby holding a sign thanking Musk.

An anti-Tesla protester who asked not to be identified said that she’d been at another protest in Long Beach in late February when a truck driver rolled down his window and tried to pepper spray the protesters. No one was hurt, but the woman said that it did concern her. “You just don’t know how people are going to respond to exercising your right to free speech,” she said.

Hundreds of protesters marched and chanted in front of a Tesla showroom in the Meatpacking District in New York City. The mood was lively and enthusiastic as protesters waved signs, danced in flaming cardboard Cybertruck costumes, and smashed toy cars on the sidewalk with a hammer. A moment of silence was held for a large portion of the crowd to lay down on the street with cardboard signs shaped like gravestones to stage a “die in” in front of the Tesla showroom.

The protest was peaceful but there were two separate instances where protesters started shouting out for others not to engage with two men holding out microphones and asking questions. In the second instance of this, police that were surrounding the building came over to prevent one of these interviewers from engaging with the protesters. The man being escorted out of the crowd still held a microphone, walked backwards smiling and said “crackhead, come here” gesturing towards one of the protesters for an interview.

Slogans on signs varied in intensity. One sign depicted Elon Musk dressed as Emperor Palpatine that read, “Strike down Darth Ketamine, Congress must!!!” Another banner held by a group of three protesters read, “Burn A Tesla Save Democracy.”

Aside from some raised voices, there weren’t any violent altercations. The turnout at this protest was about three times larger than the protest at the same location a week earlier. As the protest neared its end there were chants of “we’ll be back” from the crowd. They were ready to come back for more.

Whenever Verge staffers are asked to describe their smart tech, office tools, kitchen gadgets, or whatever else, they talk about things they recently bought, things they picked up 10 years ago, or things they’ve had sitting around their house for decades.

We’ve gathered a few of the items that our staffers have enthused about in the past that they use for charging, repairing, listening, cooking, gardening, and parenting, and that are now discounted as part of Amazon’s Big Spring Sale. Just in case you’d like to check them out.

After realizing we’re not a family who likes to get their hands dirty while cooking (we leave that part to mixers and blenders), an automatic soap dispenser has become one of the most used devices in our kitchen. We opted for a cheap $25 option from Amazon that lets you adjust how much foaming soap is dispensed and lasts for a couple of months between charges, but companies like Simplehuman sell pricier $80 versions wrapped in brushed metal or other fancy finishes that could better match your decor. We find we use less soap now that it’s always perfectly portioned out, and buying refills in bulk is much cheaper. There’s now one in every bathroom in our home. — Andrew Liszewski, senior reporter, news

For the past few years, the Instant Pot has been a staple in my kitchen. From making rice to slow-cooking stews and even frying up chicken, it can do just about anything. The best part is that the Instant Pot can cook most recipes in a fraction of the time it would take in the oven or on the stove. Rice, for example, takes just six minutes to cook (not counting the amount of time it takes to build pressure), and there’s no fussing with covering the pot or adjusting the heat. Sometimes, it’s just easier — and much less stressful — to let the Instant Pot take the wheel. — Emma Roth, news writer

One of the first things I did when I got my own place was purchase a food chopper. Perhaps puritan chefs will disagree with my methods, but this saves me so much time. I like to make tikka masala, which requires dicing ginger. If you’ve ever tried to dice ginger, you know that a food chopper would come in handy. This one did break recently, so I’ll probably replace it with a fancier one. — Kylie Robison, senior AI reporter

The Yogasleep Hushh is a small, portable white noise machine. That’s it, and that’s why it’s great.

It’s not a smart device and doesn’t require any sort of subscription. It has physical buttons. It has three different white noise options. It can run on battery for up to 24 hours, and you can charge it with a USB-C cable. It even comes with a ring to attach it to things.

My wife and I turn on the Hushh every time we put our baby down to sleep. If you’re looking for a simple white noise machine that just works, this is the one to buy. – Jay Peters, news editor

When screen time is over, there’s no building toy, not even Lego, that holds my kid’s attention better than GraviTrax. It lets you build complicated marble runs using myriad components, including ramps, risers, bridges, switches, and launchers — and that’s just the starter set. There are several expansions that add motorized components that can keep marbles rolling indefinitely if assembled correctly, and it’s one of those toys that adults will enjoy just as much as kids do. For younger kids, there’s also now a GraviTrax Junior line with simpler components and larger marbles. – Andrew Liszewski, senior reporter, news

A musical penguin toy that cycles through surprisingly boppy remixes. It flaps its wings with high-contrast black-and-white spots that will mesmerize your baby. – Helen Havlak, publisher

The Snoo is a smart bassinet that plays white noise and rocks your baby, ramping up the intensity if your baby keeps crying. I have heard from friends that it does not work for every baby, but when it works, it really works — and you have truly magical moments when it successfully puts your baby to sleep. You can control the intensity manually and get nice sleep logs in their proprietary app — though Snoo’s parent company, Happiest Baby, has come under fire for introducing a new subscription fee of $19.99 / month for the main app functionality after nine months. While infuriating, I was so desperate for sleep, I would still have bought a Snoo. Also, look out for return policies; some parents prefer to buy their Snoos from Amazon to avoid Happiest Baby’s steep $199 restocking fee. – Helen Havlak, publisher

Fungus gnats love overwatered soil, so once you’ve gotten rid of them, you’ve got to be careful and diligent about your watering schedule. For that, I got myself a Gouevn soil moisture meter to teach myself how to properly water my plants. I’ve properly vanquished my fungus gnat issue, but with these two tools, I’m always prepared in case there’s ever another infestation. – Victoria Song, senior reviewer

One day, I received a surprise package in the mail from my mom, and it included these Velcro garden ties. I’d never even seen these before, so I decided to try them with my orchid. I found that they’re a lot softer than the plastic ties I used previously, and they do a pretty good job at supporting my plants, both indoor and outdoor. You can simply cut the Velcro ties to size, wrap them around your plant, and the tie will stick to itself. They’re reusable, too! — Emma Roth, news writer

In my youth, I forgot to pack plug adapters for international trips one too many times. Buying them once you’ve landed in another country isn’t always easy, either. And if you’re like me, your relatives in rural Korea don’t always have more than one plug for your American devices — in which case, you’ll have to share with your six other cousins. Nope. Absolutely not. Which is why I never leave this country without a universal travel adapter.

Basically, it’s six plug adapters in one. Depending on which one you get, it might come with USB ports so you can charge multiple devices in one outlet. Granted, it’s bulkier than buying one or two specialized adapter plugs, but if you’ve got a multi-continent itinerary, it’s a game-changer. What I like about this one from Epicka is that it comes with a spare fuse in case things go sideways with voltage.

The only caveat is that, although it says “universal,” it’s technically only the four most common types of plugs. That’ll get you by in most countries, but it’s not a guarantee in places like Brazil, South Africa, or India. Even so, I’ll take this over price gouging at airport electronics shops or having to take time out of my schedule to visit a local hardware store. — Victoria Song, senior reviewer

Nobody wants to carry a power strip or an extension cord with them on their vacation. It’s probably unnecessary if you’re staying in relatively modern buildings and definitely unnecessary if you’re camping. But sometimes you want to stay in a charming historical hotel or a lovely cabin in the woods, and it’s only when you go to charge your devices at night that you realize that the only electrical socket in the bedroom is in the corner farthest away from the bed and there are already two lamps plugged into it.

Older buildings especially suffer from what I can only describe as loose socket syndrome, where those very convenient modern boxy socket extenders with five different USB and USB-C charging ports simply cannot stay in place and fall right out of the wall because they’re too heavy. After one (totally pleasant) vacation where I had to charge my phone, watch, AirPods, and laptop in a weird corner of my room with the plug-in charging hub propped up on a strategically balanced mountain of books and sham pillows, I bought this Anker combination extension cord / power strip. It’s not a full power strip — just a cube with a few sockets along with USB and USB-C charging ports at the end of a five-foot cable. I’ve brought it on a few trips since then. It takes up extra space in my suitcase but each time has left me feeling vindicated about the purchase.

The three prongs at the end of the cable are static, rather than folding flat for easy packing. This is key because the loose sockets of older buildings reject the beautiful convenience of folding prongs. There are more than enough sockets for one person, and with some finagling (and maybe an extra charging brick), it can accommodate two people’s devices.

If you’re traveling overseas, don’t forget to purchase a different plug type. — Sarah Jeong, deputy features editor

Most of the things I own are, frankly, just unreliable enough to be annoying. All except for one or two, and of those, the one I love most of all is the Meross Smart Wi-Fi Garage Door Opener for HomeKit. And my love for it isn’t just about its rock-solid performance — it’s because, as far as I can tell, it’s compatible with almost any garage door opener on the market and across time itself. I don’t think that’s an exaggeration, either. The chunky mustard yellow all-metal box that cranks my garage door open — the Model 455 by Automatic Doorman — was made, by my loose estimation, sometime between the fall of Rome and 1975.

But Meross’ adapter was $30 — and to my amazement, after a very simple installation, it worked and continues to do so almost every time I need it to. Best of all, I don’t have to carry the chunky remote with me on my bike when I leave because I can just talk into my Apple Watch when I return and coast right in. — Wes Davis, weekend editor

I spend the workday at my Vox laptop, a MacBook Pro, with a few accessories, including a pair of Sony WH-1000XM4 wireless headphones that my colleague Chris Welch reviewed. — Adi Robertson, senior reporter

I picked up Hoto’s electric screwdriver because my former boss at The Verge, Dan Seifert, would often pitch it around gift guide season. I’m glad I did, though, because it now sits alongside a handful of tools I use on an almost weekly basis. I wouldn’t suggest using it for real household projects that require some serious torque, but it’s incredibly handy for tightening the legs on my desk, assembling furniture, and making sure my bike seat isn’t going to come off mid-ride. It’s also equipped with a USB-C port for charging, a nifty LED light that lets you ditch the headlamp, and a case for housing the 25 steel bits. Oh, and it really does make for a great little gift. I guess Dan was right. — Brandon Widder, senior commerce editor

These are my current favorite switches. The Kailh Deep-Sea Silent Pro Islets are nearly identical to the fantastic switches in the HHKB Studio, just much less expensive. The Islets are silent linear switches, with an extra-long spring, so the actuation force curve is strongest right at the beginning and then smooth the rest of the way, giving them an almost Topre-like tactile sensation. (Pitchforks down; I said almost.) They’re an instant upgrade for any hot-swappable keyboard that takes Cherry MX-compatible switches, and I’ve been using them as my daily drivers for a while. There’s also a tactile version, which I don’t like as much. Sorry to the Kailh Whales. — Nathan Edwards, senior reviews editor

Update, March 29th: Updated to reflect current pricing/availability.