A disgruntled Tesla Inc employee broke into the company\u2019s manufacturing operating system and sent highly sensitive data to unknown third parties, according to an email Elon Musk sent to staff.<\/p>\n
The worker, who had been denied a promotion, did \u201cquite extensive and damaging sabotage\u201d to Tesla\u2019s operations, Musk wrote in the memo late Sunday, which was reported in full by CNBC.<\/p>\n
While a spokesman declined to comment, an employee who asked not to be identified confirmed he received the email.<\/p>\n
Tesla is conducting an in-depth investigation into the matter, including whether the worker was acting alone, with others at the company or with any outside organizations, Musk wrote.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs you know, there are a long list of organizations that want Tesla to die,\u201d Musk said. He referenced Wall Street short sellers \u201cwho have already lost billions of dollars,\u201d oil and gas companies that \u201cdon\u2019t love\u201d to see solar power and electric cars advancing, and automakers that produce gasoline and diesel vehicles.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf they\u2019re willing to cheat so much about emissions, maybe they\u2019re willing to cheat in other ways?\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Musk\u2019s email comes as Tesla races to ramp up production of its critical Model 3 sedan to 5,000 cars a week.<\/p>\n
Last week, Musk announced that he was reorganizing the company and shrinking Tesla\u2019s workforce by 9% in a bid for profitability. More than 3,000 workers lost their jobs, and notices filed with the state of California revealed that over 500 employees in Fremont and Palo Alto were dismissed.<\/p>\n