Yes, ultimately, money and power. Tesla offered a world where free energy existed along with many other technological advancements....a truly remarkable man who i dont think gets the credit or respect he deserves.

This was at a time of industrial revolution where you had massive wealth and power being held by titans of industry. Titans whose fortunes depended on Tesla going bye bye. If you control the energy, you control the power literally and figuratively speaking. Tesla and what he was capable of rocked the boat wayyyyyy too much. He had to go and so, he went. Energy dependence was crucial to maintaining and amassing power to then exert that power and exploit it in every way possible to further your own agendas and wealth. Rockefeller and his boys had too much skin in that game to let the cash cow dry up.

This same thing happened all over various industries. It's the same principle reason why industrial hemp was outlawed. Cultivation and manufacture of hemp for paper, wood, and the other 840 products you can make with it would have absolutely crushed the paper and timber industries plus others via association. Only in this case instead of murdering a pioneer they successfully lobbied congress to pass legislation requiring a marijuana tax stamp. Which subsequently they would not issue said tax stamp effectively destroying the largest threat to the US paper and timber industries.

Seems like more often than not power and wealth have always been the motivating factors in suppressing human progression and advancement.