Taking cognizance of an untoward incident, last night, Tesla chief, Elon Musk, sent out an email to staff members indicating concerns regarding "extensive and damaging sabotage" done by an employee of the organization. The alleged act involved leaking of sensitive company data to third parties. Over and above, modifications were made to the manufacturing operating system. Investigations in the matter have begun, and the company is trying to discern whether the employee acted on his own accord, or in collusion with "outside organizations."
While Musk did not specify the identity of the individual, he said, "The full extent of his actions are not yet clear, but what he has admitted to so far is pretty bad," as highlighted by Reuters. He further indicated that the act was perpetrated by the employee as a consequence of not receiving an anticipated promotion. "As you know, there are a long list of organizations that want Tesla to die," Musk continued; hinting at Wall Street short-sellers, oil and gas companies, auto industry rivals, though specifically naming none. Gina Antonini, Tesla spokeswoman, refused to give any statement on the email.
Musk had sent a separate mail to employees in the early hours of Monday highlighting a "small fire" at a company facility on Sunday. While the fire seemed unpremeditated, Musk asked employees to "be on the alert for anything that's not in the best interests of the company."Last week, more than 3,000 Tesla staff, which is close to nine per cent of the company, had been laid off, supposedly, for performance issues.
Tesla is facing a lot of heat for lagging behind on the production deadline of Model 3. As a result, it has to ramp up production of the car. The company's long-term profitability hinges on the commercial success of the car. Tesla was expected to produce 5,000 cars per week by the end of 2017, but it failed to meet the target by a substantial target. As of June 5th, the company is pushing out 3,500 cars per week and is expected to hit 5,000 by month end. Until Tesla reaches that point, the company has expressed that it will lose money on every car it makes.