I am ashamed that I used to be a somewhat vocal advocate of Musk and Tesla.

Don’t be ashamed that you got scammed; continue channeling that energy into being as vocal about how these people are giant frauds.

I was never an advocate for the guy at all, but for that reason my I expect that anything I have to say about the subject will likely resonate less and be less effective with people who were pulled in by the guy. You are probably correct that you have persuaded others to like him and a good atonement for that is to be as active and vocal now in opposition. I also think it’s important to include “I was once fooled by this moron” as well because it gives others the permission to be vulnerable alongside you.

EDIT: PS: For future reference, a heuristic for avoiding getting duped into cults of personality is to watch for when something that should be larger than a single person (e.g. an eco-friendly car company, a political movement, a religious movement, a “wellness” movement, a philosophy) becomes all about worshiping some guy or gal. At that point it’s probably a cult, a scam, or a combination of both.

I don’t know why, but it seems like many are primed to believe that some magical guy or gal is capable of solving complex problems single-handedly.