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Tesla Sues Employee Alleged To Have Stolen Gigabytes of Data (arstechnica.com)

An anonymous reader quotes a report from Ars Technica: On Wednesday, Tesla sued a former employee who worked in its Gigafactory in Nevada, accusing him of stealing trade secrets. The lawsuit appears to be what CEO Elon Musk was referring to recently when he said that production of the Model 3 had been sabotaged. Musk said that there are "more" alleged saboteurs.

According to the civil complaint that was filed in federal court in Nevada, Tesla accused Martin Tripp, who began working in Sparks as a "process technician" in October 2017, of exporting company data: "Tesla has only begun to understand the full scope of Tripp's illegal activity, but he 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. This includes dozens of confidential photographs and a video of Tesla's manufacturing systems."

65 of 153 comments (clear)

  1. And ppl want Tesla to go to CHina? LOL by WindBourne · · Score: 4, Interesting

    This will be common amongst the employees there. Of course, I would like to know who this data went to. Tesla's REAL IP has never been about the car, but how to get their manufacturing costs way down.
    And considering that only Ford has grown this fast, they have been amazing.

    --
    I prefer the "u" in honour as it seems to be missing these days.
    1. Re:And ppl want Tesla to go to CHina? LOL by Mr+D+from+63 · · Score: 3, Interesting

      This sounds like spying/hacking not sabotage. Did the guy actually disrupt any manufacturing or not?

      Musk better get used to this stuff, every other industry has to deal with it.

    2. Re: And ppl want Tesla to go to CHina? LOL by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      but how to get their manufacturing costs way down.

      This makes no sense. I mean, Tesla's a company that hasn't exactly been very profitable so far. Their vehicles aren't known for being inexpensive, and buyers often rely on government grants or other subsidies in order to afford them. Car manufacturing isn't a new field, and there are numerous existing competitors that have been around for decades. It's like you're saying Tesla's main strength is something that it doesn't currently seem to be very good at.

    3. Re: And ppl want Tesla to go to CHina? LOL by mark_reh · · Score: 1, Troll

      Have you seen how much Teslas cost? People who buy Teslas don't need govt hand-outs in order to afford a Tesla. The govt hand-out is welfare for the rich.

    4. Re:And ppl want Tesla to go to CHina? LOL by GrimSavant · · Score: 4, Interesting

      Tesla's complaint says that he wrote software that hacked Tesla's manufacturing operating system in addition to the data exfiltration. So, maybe that was sabotage? Maybe not?

      We'll have to wait until they provide more evidence as to what happened, though they might not do that immediately if they are still trying to figure out what happened, especially if law enforcement is involved. Tesla will have to put up or shut up in the discovery process of the law suit if they are going to press that, though.

    5. Re: And ppl want Tesla to go to CHina? LOL by Rei · · Score: 1

      Indeed. A teardown of the Model 3 contracted by German automakers estimated that the cost to manufacture the Model 3 LR at a full production rate would be $28k.

      --
      I was watching this thing on TV about some guy named Hitler. Someone should stop him!
    6. Re:And ppl want Tesla to go to CHina? LOL by Rei · · Score: 1

      Read the lawsuit. All applicable laws are (obviously) cited.

      --
      I was watching this thing on TV about some guy named Hitler. Someone should stop him!
    7. Re:And ppl want Tesla to go to CHina? LOL by vtcodger · · Score: 1

      Different employee than yesterday I think. This seems to have to do with stealing trade secrets from the battery factory. That would seem to have some amount of plausibility. I seriously doubt that other automakers much give a damn about Tesla's vehicle technology. They can probably build an overpriced EV that runs into firetrucks without stealing secrets, and if they do need to know anything, they'll buy a Tesla and take it apart. But there are other Lion battery makers who might well like to know what Tesla is up to

      --
      You can't see ANYTHING from a car, You've got to get out of the goddamned contraption and walk...Edward Abbey
    8. Re:And ppl want Tesla to go to CHina? LOL by Mr+D+from+63 · · Score: 1

      Seems like Musk is OK to talk about what happened. Are you suggesting he doesn't really yet know?

    9. Re: And ppl want Tesla to go to CHina? LOL by LynnwoodRooster · · Score: 1, Informative

      And yet they still lose money - even before you count spending on R&D... Or paying the interest on their debt (let alone actually paying down the debt). Or a host of other things....

      --
      Browsing at +1 - no ACs, I ignore their posts. So refreshing!
    10. Re:And ppl want Tesla to go to CHina? LOL by Mr+D+from+63 · · Score: 1

      Different employee than yesterday I think.

      That's what isn't clear.

      Anyhow, 'gigabits of data' could just be a couple of videos of drivers abusing AP.

    11. Re:And ppl want Tesla to go to CHina? LOL by GrimSavant · · Score: 1

      Musk is saying himself that they don't have the full picture, so I don't see what would be controversial about that. The possibility that he is saying or speculating too much has already been raised, that he may be going too far out on the limb to insinuate that there may outside actors involved in this. If true, that could potentially be a criminal conspiracy.

      He hasn't shown the evidence he has yet, and not publicly airing evidence in the investigation phase prior to the actual trial phase is normal, though. So maybe he's full of hot air, or maybe not, hard to say when we can't see his cards yet. The evidence will get out this if goes through the trial process instead of being settled, the defense will get their hands on it in discovery and Tesla will have to use the evidence to prove that they are owed money for damages and how much.

    12. Re:And ppl want Tesla to go to CHina? LOL by Mr+D+from+63 · · Score: 1

      Makes sense. My previous response came out a bit 'snarkier' than intended. My apologies.

    13. Re:And ppl want Tesla to go to CHina? LOL by Comrade+Ogilvy · · Score: 2

      The alleged perp claims he is a whistleblower, and that is a plausible though not necessarily to be trusted story. Even if that is sincere, Musk cannot assume there is truth in such assertions. It is likely at this point the Musk has sufficient evidence that lots of data have been sent...somewhere.

      Is the intended or actual destination something "innocent" like some investigative journalists? Is the alleged perp getting paid for that? Are there other third parties willing pay? Are there any deals in the works to get a little sugar from shortsellers with timely trades when the news is about to hit the street?

      Musk does not know and should not be satisfied by assertions of the alleged perp. The reasonable answer is, in fact, to use the full force of the employee NDA and legal system to get a look at all the personal electronic devices of this person.

      I am not going to jump to any to conclusions. But Musk should not either. Lawyering up is a reasonable way to find out the truth here. What should even a non-evil CEO do?

    14. Re:And ppl want Tesla to go to CHina? LOL by fozzy1015 · · Score: 3, Informative

      Tesla's REAL IP has never been about the car, but how to get their manufacturing costs way down. "

      Haha! Oh, wait, you're serious? Let me laugh even harder. Tesla has more employees per car produced then every other manufacturer, even when taking into consideration they own their own service centers and don't depend on a dealer network. Musk wasted billions thinking he was smarter than everyone else by trying to over automate final assembly. Almost a year after the Model 3 went into production, billions have been wasted and the total number of cars built is barely over 30K. Tesla is a farce when it comes to efficient manufacturing.

    15. Re:And ppl want Tesla to go to CHina? LOL by 110010001000 · · Score: 2, Informative

      Give it up. Rei and Windborne have a lot invested in Tesla. They will never see any flaws. $10 billion in debt with no way out? No problem! Just add another "production line".

    16. Re:And ppl want Tesla to go to CHina? LOL by sad_ · · Score: 1

      I would like to know who this data went to.

      well, as you suggest in the subject, it probably is china.
      makes sense; tesla doesn't have a factory there yet, but china wants to compete with/copy tesla.

      --
      On a long enough timeline, the survival rate for everyone drops to zero.
    17. Re:And ppl want Tesla to go to CHina? LOL by atrex · · Score: 1

      Going public like this may be Musk's attempt at distracting the board from the huge Q2 losses.

    18. Re: And ppl want Tesla to go to CHina? LOL by DontBeAMoran · · Score: 2

      I'll wait. Make sure to include environmental data and pollution data from the process.

      And will you also include the environmental and pollution data about ICE vehicles? You know, offshore platforms, fuel transport and transformation, spills, smog, etc?

      --
      #DeleteFacebook
    19. Re: And ppl want Tesla to go to CHina? LOL by Impy+the+Impiuos+Imp · · Score: 1

      "I am not fucking!" Drax the Slashdotter shouted angrily.

      --
      (-1: Post disagrees with my already-settled worldview) is not a valid mod option.
    20. Re: And ppl want Tesla to go to CHina? LOL by Highdude702 · · Score: 1

      Where have you gotten a $35k Tesla? Remember those aren't being made yet.

    21. Re:And ppl want Tesla to go to CHina? LOL by drsquare · · Score: 1

      It's not a matter of wanting to, it's having to. Trump's trade war means US manufacturers will have to move production from the US to China to get around counter-tariffs.

  2. If you don't like your job by Jahoda · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Then quit.

    It never ceases to amaze me the gross sense of entitlement that certain types of people have. Tesla gave this dude a job, which he felt was beneath him. He performed that job poorly, and Tesla continued to employ him. The way he thanked Tesla was to commit corporate espionage, access systems which were not his property, make libelous statements, and steal. Now he will never be employed in his chosen field in any meaningful role, ever again. Destitute from civil financial judgement against him And that is after he gets out of prison for the criminal charges which will surely be forthcoming due to his unauthorized access of Tesla systems.

    1. Re:If you don't like your job by Nos. · · Score: 1

      There's nothing saying he didn't like his job. In a company of any decent size, there's bound to be people, that offered the right incentives, would share company secrets with a competitor. Sometimes it's an act of revenge for perceived wrong doing, other times it's simply that the incentive is enough to overcome morals.

    2. Re:If you don't like your job by Rei · · Score: 5, Insightful

      while Musk cleans up drawing millions as CEO.

      FYI: Musk has no salary. His only compensation is his stock. And he only gets more stock if the company meets some extremely aggressive benchmarks. Otherwise, he's working for free.

      That's not to pity him; he's plenty wealthy as it is. I just wanted to correct your comment. He earns no salary from Tesla.

      ...and security controls if this guy was able to do this and nobody can figure it out unless he admits to it

      Please read the lawsuit. They found evidence that he was doing this and confronted him about it, only getting the confession after showing him the evidence they had of him doing it.

      --
      I was watching this thing on TV about some guy named Hitler. Someone should stop him!
    3. Re:If you don't like your job by bobbied · · Score: 1

      They where not watching very close if he got gigabits of stuff transferred and had his "software" loaded on at least three systems and was looking for more and he'd only been there since October of last year. They where not watching the newbie or anybody there very close at all. I read it that he got caught trying to recruit additional conspirators to help who reported it and drew security's attention, not that the security audits or access controls caught him.

      Musk's "salary" may be zero, but his compensation is far from zero. He's just structured his compensation to fit both his narrative (working for free) and sheltering income from the tax man. A possible 2.6 BILLION in stock for 10 years is a hefty bit of pay. Yea, he may not get all of that, but he's going to get at least some of it unless Tesla files for bankruptcy between now and then.

      --
      "File to fit, pound to insert, paint to match" - Aircraft Maintenance 101
    4. Re:If you don't like your job by Ogive17 · · Score: 3, Informative

      I'm not taking sides however I just ran across this article with a story from the ex-employee. He claims to be a whistle blower and that Tesla has been lying to look better.

      http://money.cnn.com/2018/06/20/technology/tesla-sues-employee/index.html

      I'll just wait for the daily Tesla updates here on /.

      --
      "Action without philosophy is a lethal weapon; philosophy without action is worthless."
    5. Re:If you don't like your job by stoborrobots · · Score: 1

      So you're saying he's gambling 2.6 billion dollars on the notion that the company won't be bankrupt in ten years?

    6. Re:If you don't like your job by Gojira+Shipi-Taro · · Score: 1

      "Then do it really half-assed. That's the AMERICAN way!"

      ~Homer J Simpson.

      --
      "Oh my God. This is terrible. This is the end of my Presidency. I'm fucked."; ~ Donald J. Trump
    7. Re:If you don't like your job by Outta_the_way_peck! · · Score: 2

      The long term gains tax is only on the increase in value from when they were received. He would still be taxed on their value at the time they were granted.

    8. Re:If you don't like your job by rhazz · · Score: 1

      He's contacted several media outlets already and none of them have run his story (yet). I guess if any of his claims had merit then we'll see something. Personally I'm leaning more towards personal greed - he tried to sell a story to the media, they didn't bite (except CNN apparently), so he found something that Tesla's enemies wanted instead.

  3. I don't get by TheDarkener · · Score: 1

    why anybody would want to steal this kind of information. It's almost as if they don't want Tesla to succeed.

    --
    It is pitch black. You are likely to be eaten by a grue.
    1. Re:I don't get by bobbied · · Score: 1

      why anybody would want to steal this kind of information

      the chinese pay better.

      And you are willing to buy a Tesla knock off from China? No thank you.

      --
      "File to fit, pound to insert, paint to match" - Aircraft Maintenance 101
    2. Re: I don't get by bobbied · · Score: 1

      Uh.. Not that I'd buy one, but I know a guy who has one and has offered to let me drive it. I think they are pretty nice, but way too expensive for me to afford. I'd put them on par with a fully loaded Lexus in appearance and function, but a bit below a Mercedes in comfort and interior finishing. Where it's fun to drive, unless my ship comes in (and I live in a land locked location) there is no way I can afford it.

      --
      "File to fit, pound to insert, paint to match" - Aircraft Maintenance 101
  4. Bye!! by Ozy311 · · Score: 2

    Strap him in a Tesla on a Falcon Heavy and launch his ass to Mars!

  5. Re:Tesla by bobbied · · Score: 1

    Note to self. Elon Musk is severely paranoid and never work for him.

    Apparently not. Nobody was minding the store while this "process technician" was transferring the crown jewels to who knows where? A paranoid person would have security controls guarding this kind of thing from an insider threat and watchers assigned to make sure the worker bees didn't steal the honey.

    I think Musk is just a egotistical CEO who is ticked off that somebody dared to try this, and I think he needed a reason to give to the share holders as to why they didn't meet expiations again.

    Not that I'd work for him either. He seems to be the kind that will willingly drive the bus over his underlings to save face and has all the ego of Steve Jobs, with fewer results to justify it. But he's not offering me a job... So what difference does it make to me? None.

    --
    "File to fit, pound to insert, paint to match" - Aircraft Maintenance 101
  6. Arbitration ? by zeiche · · Score: 1

    I wonder if Tesla insisted on the employee signing an arbitration agreement. If so, this case might not go the way Musk thinks.

  7. Can't steal digital data, right Slashdot? by AcidPenguin9873 · · Score: 1, Insightful

    Comes up every time media copyright infringement is in the news. This guy didn't deprive Tesla of anything, so he clearly didn't steal anything, right? Information wants to be free? Let's hear all the usual tropes.

    1. Re:Can't steal digital data, right Slashdot? by Anubis+IV · · Score: 1

      While I agree you (i.e. I see value in copyrights existing, though I'll admit to not liking the direction things are going with effectively infinite terms), it's worth pointing out that there's a fundamental difference between the two situations: creating a copy of music doesn't affect whether the music is public or not, whereas creating a copy of Tesla's proprietary data affects whether that data is public. Put differently, when it comes to music, the genie is already out of the bottle; the data is already out there. Making one copy doesn't change anything fundamental to that truth. When it comes to Tesla's internal data, the genie was not out of the bottle, so exfiltrating a copy of that data changes the fundamental privacy of that data.

      Again, I don't think that any of what I just said is a valid excuse for making illicit copies of media, but I can see how someone can (reasonably, though errantly) suggest that music piracy isn't a problem while still seeing the wrong in what happened here.

    2. Re:Can't steal digital data, right Slashdot? by Knightman · · Score: 4, Insightful

      I cannot fathom why anyone would mod you up as insightful.

      There is a huge difference between copyright infringement and industrial espionage.

      Theft of information can deprive someone of something - exclusivity. Theft of a song may deprive a record company or artist of a sale, but not exclusivity.

      --
      --- Reality doesn't care about your opinions, it happens anyway and if you are in the way you'll get squished.
    3. Re:Can't steal digital data, right Slashdot? by sverdlichenko · · Score: 2

      A bit of difference: Tesla never intended to publish this information, and now is deprived of exclusivity.

    4. Re:Can't steal digital data, right Slashdot? by Uberbah · · Score: 1

      Right, and that's why uploading a song to a sharing site is akin to industrial espionage

      You guys can stop trying to make this comparison happen. Its not going to happen.

    5. Re:Can't steal digital data, right Slashdot? by AcidPenguin9873 · · Score: 1

      I should have been modded "Troll" probably.

      Your post does not address my implied point. There are countless Slashdot posters who insist that unless the owner is physically deprived of something, there was no harm done or value lost, because they still have the thing.

      As you stated, exclusivity of access to information is intangible, yet has value. It is what trade secrets and employment agreements protect. Just like how exclusivity of distribution rights to information is intangible yet has value, i.e. what copyright protects.

  8. Re:Tesla by GrimSavant · · Score: 1

    Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean they aren't after you. --Joseph Heller

  9. Re:Tesla by Rei · · Score: 2

    Actually, Musk's only comment about the lawsuit on Twitter was:

    There is more, but the actions of a few bad apples will not stop Tesla from reaching its goals. With 40,000 people, the worst 1 in 1000 will have issues. That’s still ~40 people.

    --
    I was watching this thing on TV about some guy named Hitler. Someone should stop him!
  10. Why does Tesla get a pass? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Informative

    Why is everyone posting on here Tesla's side of the story?

    The employee is speaking out now, claiming his actions were part of a whistle-blowing effort. If this was GM or Ford, the Slashdot community would trust the whiste-blower; why are people here trusting the corporation instead?

    http://money.cnn.com/2018/06/20/technology/tesla-sues-employee/index.html

    1. Re:Why does Tesla get a pass? by aaarrrgggh · · Score: 2

      Fair enough, and Musk has a darn good publicist.

      But, from the information available, I am much more likely to believe Tesla than this guy. The one thing that does jump out though is if he was capable of doing what Tesla claims, he was grossly under appreciated, and if he did it in 6-9 months they do not have adequate controls in place.

    2. Re:Why does Tesla get a pass? by phantomfive · · Score: 1
      Here is what he says:

      "I am being singled out for being a whistleblower. I didn't hack into system. The data I was collecting was so severe, I had to go to the media,"

      It's hard to take him seriously when he didn't go to the media until now.

      --
      "First they came for the slanderers and i said nothing."
    3. Re:Why does Tesla get a pass? by GrimSavant · · Score: 1

      There's quite a bit of asymmetry in this, in multiple ways. In raw dollar value terms, the downside risk for Tesla is a lot bigger, and if they defame him they could be on the hook for a whole lot more money than Tesla could ever hope to win in a lawsuit, for no more complicated reason than he would go bankrupt over far smaller sums of money than Tesla would. Tesla's reputation, for good or ill, also has a bigger stake than the reputation of the ex-employee, and if they abuse the legal system to slander a genuine whistle-blower then that will have much more wide ranging effects.

      Conversely, if Tesla is trying to break this guy and either leave him destitute or in a prison cell, then he has everything to lose, even if "everything" is a smaller number from a context free standpoint. And he is almost surely going to be outmatched in available resources to handle drawn out litigation and the associated legal fees.

      Since they are both making pretty strong claims, I'd recommend to wait and see what the evidence is, rather than have a kneejerk reaction siding with one or the other. If one or both of them are full of shit, in the parlance of our times, then they have quite a bit to lose in the legal process and its aftermath.

    4. Re:Why does Tesla get a pass? by DerekLyons · · Score: 1

      If this was GM or Ford, the Slashdot community would trust the whiste-blower; why are people here trusting the corporation instead?

      Because /. is heavily infested with the Faithful, members and True Believers in the divinity of His Holiness Elon Musk.

    5. Re:Why does Tesla get a pass? by Gravis+Zero · · Score: 3, Insightful

      The real fact is that Musk is a flim flam artist

      So despite reaching a massive milestone in rocketry with SpaceX, you still call him a flimflam artist? Damn dude, what does someone have to do to convince you that they're legit?

      His timelines are overly optimistic but he's always managed to accomplish what he claimed. But hey, facts are annoying when they get in the way of illogical hatred, right?

      --
      Anons need not reply. Questions end with a question mark.
    6. Re:Why does Tesla get a pass? by EnsilZah · · Score: 1

      "And he claims that Tesla inflated the number of Model 3's it made when it said it had built 2,020 of the cars in the seven days prior to a much anticipated April 3 report. Tripp said the actual number is closer to 1,900."

      A true whistleblower, the world needs to know!
      Think of all those poor shareholders being lead astray.

    7. Re:Why does Tesla get a pass? by bloodhawk · · Score: 2, Interesting

      if true it is actually a massive deal and if proven will result in very serious fines or imprisonment for execs for securities fraud, The SEC takes intentionally providing false information to the market very seriously.

    8. Re:Why does Tesla get a pass? by froggyjojodaddy · · Score: 1

      If he was a whistle-blower, would he not be providing evidence or data to a government agency instead of a competitor?

    9. Re:Why does Tesla get a pass? by Train0987 · · Score: 1

      The SEC has civil jurisdiction, not criminal. They can only levy fines and even then rarely do so.

    10. Re:Why does Tesla get a pass? by thegarbz · · Score: 1

      Why is everyone posting on here Tesla's side of the story?

      The employee is speaking out now, claiming his actions were part of a whistle-blowing effort.

      And? Whistleblowing doesn't make exfiltrating data any more right. This is a private company here not some secret government agency that has spent years hiding from the public eye doing shady shit.

      If this was GM or Ford, the Slashdot community would trust the whiste-blower;

      Oh I trust the Whistleblower for GM or Ford too. I trust that he would be prosecuted in the same way. I trust that the response against him would be the same. Tough shit, he got caught. Just because he works for a company that spends a lot of time in the limelight.

      why are people here trusting the corporation instead?

      Trusting with what? With firing an employee that got caught misshandling data and admitted to it? Suing the employee? Why wouldn't you trust that response, it is precisely what a normal corporation would do, and the motivations of the employee in question are completely irrelevant.

      Now that said, I don't believe the employee for a second, but even if I did, tough shit, don't get caught next time. If you want praise then jump on a plane to Russia and post an incredible leak on wikileaks.

    11. Re:Why does Tesla get a pass? by EnsilZah · · Score: 1

      Sure, if true it's an issue for the SEC, and an incredibly stupid and pointless act of fraud for a company already under fire from many directions.

      Does it seem like the kind of thing to weigh on a person's conscience to turn whistleblower? Misreporting sales by 120 units? Having more scrap widgets than expected?

    12. Re:Why does Tesla get a pass? by gravewax · · Score: 1

      misreporting manufacturing capacity by 5%, huge deal. more scrap than expected probably minor. the manufacturing misreporting if true is market affecting and outright fraud if true.

    13. Re:Why does Tesla get a pass? by ebvwfbw · · Score: 1

      Edison was a great inventor. Greatest? Nope. So far that would be Nikola Tesla. That's a hell of a high bar to get over. Who else has stuff they did being used throughout the world and is a part of every day life that we depend on. AC electric, AC electric motors.. and on and on and on. Edison was a great inventor, I don't want to diminish that. Even if JP Morgan just about enslaved him.

  11. Alleged To Have Stolen Gigabytes of Data by L+S+Colby · · Score: 1

    So when is it that "employee alleged to have stolen" is changed to "employee who has admitted stealing." The Cambridge English dictionary defines allege as: - to say that someone has done something illegal or wrong without giving proof: To Allege is to imply doubt. There is no doubt. Mr. Tripp has admitted to "writing software that hacked Tesla’s manufacturing operating system ("MOS") and to transferring several gigabytes of Tesla data to outside entities. This includes dozens of confidential photographs and a video of Tesla’s manufacturing systems." It is alleged that: - beyond the misconduct to which Tripp admitted - he also wrote computer code to periodically export Tesla’s data off its network and into the hands of third parties. His hacking software was operating on three separate computer systems of other individuals at Tesla so that the data would be exported even after he left the company and so that those individuals would be falsely implicated as guilty parties. It is my opinion, BeauHd, after reading many, but not all of your posts on this site pertaining to Tesal/Elon Musk, is that you never miss an opportunity to cast aspersions on Mr. Musk, Tesla, or SpaceX. - So what is it. Is using "alleged", which is factually incorrect, just an oversight on your part, in the face of the admissions by Mr. Tripp, or do you think there are real reasons to doubt that Mr. Tripp has admitted anything . if so, what are your doubts based on. Do you believe Mr. Musk is hatching a plot to divert attention from the model 3 production problems widely reported and speculated on by "the usual list" of what passes for journalists these days. And how bout those shadowy others, who received the data that Mr. Tripp has admitted he stole from Tesla.. No reason to speculate on that, when every day there's a new story of a Tesla car catching fire or crashing while on auto-whatever, or a fire on the production line or quality control problems. I'm not saying none of these things have happened. However, after years of producing some 300,000 electric cars, why now, when Tesla is on the verge of success in the - Best Made in America Tradition - are these things all over the news. Oh yeah. That's right. Anyone who knows anything about markets and finance (and who received 16 Trillion dollars from the American people in 2008, because of their great market wisdom) - knows. You can't make anything in America any more. Electric cars. File that away with airplanes and cold fusion and other wild speculation by impractical dreamers. Why if there were anything like mass produced electric cars, what would happen to all those internal combustion engine factories at those places where they know how to make things that are really important, like - spreadsheets and 10k reports. Could there be some connection to the production problems at Tesla and those who have received - who knows what - from - who knows how many people inside Tesla - who were paid to work at Tesla, but not for the work, such as it may have been, they did while employed there. That's the real story. A story worth speculating on, for what it would reveal about those who are paid to sprinkle radioactive free market pixie dust on any signs of real competition developing.

  12. wonka by bugs2squash · · Score: 3, Funny

    he should throw out all the employees and close the factory until he can re-staff it with oompa-lumpas.

    --
    Nullius in verba
    1. Re:wonka by elrous0 · · Score: 2

      Oompa Loompas are hard to find these days. Turns out that LoompaLand species never evolved a natural immunity to polio or most STD's. And those little fuckers are all anti-vaxxers and just WILL NOT wear condoms. So they've taken a pretty hard hit on their numbers. Wonka even had to start begging for H1B's.

      --
      SJW: Someone who has run out of real oppression, and has to fake it.
    2. Re:wonka by thegarbz · · Score: 1

      he should throw out all the employees and close the factory until he can re-staff it with oompa-lumpas.

      Err why? Are you somehow implying that exactly the same response wouldn't occur at any other company?

  13. Not so much when patents are involved by Uberbah · · Score: 4, Insightful

    There's also a huge similarity, it's been copied not taken. So if you object to the word stolen when it comes to copyright infringement you should also object to the word stolen when it comes to espionage. At least unless any documents, prototypes, backup disks or similar was actually removed from Tesla's possession.

    Scenario A: Joe Blow makes a high-quality rip of Black Panther a week before it was released on blue ray and torrents it. Out of the ten thousand people that download it, 800 would have otherwise bought the disk. 800 x $25 = Disney is out $20,000 on a movie approaching $1.4 billion at the box office.

    Scenario B: Joe Blow is a research assistant at Merck, and realizes his team is on the verge of a breakthrough on a cancer drug. Rather than get a pat on the back from his boss, he takes his findings to try and sell to his buddy who's an executive at Pfizer. If the corporate espionage is successful and Pfizer gets the patent first, Merck is out a hundred million in profits.

    Still think corporate espionage is "hugely similar" to copyright infringement?

  14. Re:No, moronic Trump traitor faggot Ivan... by Killall+-9+Bash · · Score: 1

    anyone with differing political views is a traitor and should go to prison....... but TRUMP is the nazi.

    --
    "Prediction: within 10 years, Windows will be a Linux distribution." Me, 7-6-2016