Ex-Tesla Worker Escalates Battle by Blowing Whistle to SEC
- Former technician alleges safety, production misstatements
- Musk portrayed ex-employee as saboteur before automaker sued
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A former Tesla Inc. employee portrayed by Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk as a saboteur has filed a whistle-blower tip to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission alleging the company made misstatements and omissions to investors.
Martin Tripp, a process engineering technician at the company’s massive battery factory in Nevada, left Tesla on June 19 and was sued by the company shortly thereafter. He accused the electric-car maker of inflating weekly Model 3 production figures by as much as 44 percent in a tip filed to the SEC on Friday, and also said the company installed unsafe batteries in vehicles that may be at higher risk of catching fire.