Tesla has started the process to sue regarding allegations of a former Tesla employee stealing data and misleading the media with incorrect statements.
Stolen Data
The alleged issue of the Tesla employee stealing data is related to a former process technician named Martin Tripp. The body of the lawsuit says that Tripp “has thus far admitted to writing software that hacked Tesla’s manufacturing operating system (“MOS”) and to transferring several gigabytes of Tesla data to outside entities.”
If the allegations of a Tesla employee stealing data are valid, it can be a major problem both for Tesla and for Martin Tripp who has found himself on the receiving end of the lawsuit. For companies with their own process for bringing products to market, having key information regarding their manufacturing leaked to competitors can cause major problems in the future as these other companies can use the data for their own implementations.
Tesla claims that the information uncovered from the Tesla employee stealing data includes “dozens of confidential photographs and a video of Tesla’s manufacturing systems.”
Tesla also alleges that Tripp created a program that could export Tesla’s data to outside parties, and that Tripp had given false statements to the media.
Media Inaccuracies
The lawsuit document explains the situation further, saying that “For example, Tripp claimed that punctured battery cells had been used in certain Model 3 vehicles even though no punctured cells were ever used in vehicles, batteries or others…Tripp also vastly exaggerated the true amount and value of “scrap” material that Tesla generated during the manufacturing process and falsely claimed that Tesla was delayed in bringing new manufacturing equipment online.”
For such a public company that has had a history of product releases that haven’t made deadlines, it is important that they keep their reputation managed as much as possible. The Tesla employee stealing data is a problem in and of itself, but adding falsehoods to reports to media that have a wide reach could potentially cause another major issue for the electric car manufacturer.
According to the lawsuit, Tripp took these actions because he felt he deserved a more senior role at the company.
At this point, Tesla has not released any statement or comment regarding the suit.
The full lawsuit is available here.
