Blog Tesla Sues Former Employee for Hacking Trade Secrets

Tesla has filed a lawsuit against a former employee alleging he “unlawfully hacked the company’s confidential and trade secret information and transferred that information to third parties.”

The company is seeking $1 million from the former employee, Martin Tripp, who worked as a process technician.

According to the petition, Tesla says Tripp admitted to writing software to hack the company’s manufacturing operating system and transferring “several gigabytes” of data, including photos and videos, to outside entities. Tesla says Tripp also made false claims to the media about the information he stole.

“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 otherwise,” the petition says. “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.”

Tesla says Tripp’s actions were retaliation for being assigned a different role at the company.

According to the lawsuit, Tesla has only begun to understand the full scope of Tripp’s illegal activity.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1009484066159144962

Tesla Chief Executive Elon Musk tweeted Wednesday about the lawsuit. “There is more, but the actions of a few bad apples will not stop Tesla from reaching its goals,” he wrote.

The full petition is available here.

 

[bkp_duke]

This could perhaps count as a frivolous lawsuit

And if you believe that, I have some oceanfront property in Iowa to sell you.

 

[Trips]

Throw him in jail for a long time for ruining the Trips, Trip's, Tripp's name.

 

[adaptabl]

Just because the general patents for some designs are available does NOT mean that processes and software are provided under those patents. There is a GIGANTIC false assumption that everything Tesla is open-source. Nothing could be further from the truth. Their manufacturing processes, for example, are not in the public domain and would fall under protection here.

This guy is TOAST. He's already admitted what he did. His only PRAYER is that he can point Tesla to a much larger fish that they can get evidence to go after.

I would LOVE to see some organization like the UAW behind this. It would CRUSH their chances of ever getting Tesla labor under a union agreement.

Trash talking the UAW makes no sense. There is just as much evidence that Elon paid him to make excuses for missed production targets.

 

[adaptabl]

Tesla could be holding off on criminal charges as an incentive for him to disclose who the "third party" is so they can assess the extent of the harm done and then go after that party?

Looks like a lone wolf issue. No story here.

 

[bkp_duke]

Trash talking the UAW makes no sense. There is just as much evidence that Elon paid him to make excuses for missed production targets.

What a load of horsesh!t.

I guess we know who the UAW paid shill is on this forum.

 

[Plug Life]

Throw him in jail for a long time for ruining the Trips, Trip's, Tripp's name.

He's already got the ultimate punishment: Musk called him a HORRIBLE person.

 

[mongo]

He's already got the ultimate punishment: Musk called him a HORRIBLE person.

Just wait till FSD and Tesla Network comes out, and he can't use it (along with hyperloop, loop, SpaceX perma-bans)

 

[adaptabl]

Throw him in jail for a long time for ruining the Trips, Trip's, Tripp's name.

Not going to happen. There may be a civil award to Tesla. He will just claim bankruptcy again and wipe out the debt.

 

[bkp_duke]

Not going to happen. There may be a civil award to Tesla. He will just claim bankruptcy again and wipe out the debt.

You clearly have no experience or knowledge of how the legal system works in this case. In addition to a CIVIL suit, this guy will likely be criminally prosecuted. He's going to go to Jail unless he can reach a settlement to roll over on who he was passing the data on to.

In case you missed it, Tesla has hired a PIT BULL of a law firm to go after this guy and any associates they find. This is going to be a blood bath for all involved.

 

[bkp_duke]

HA HA HA

This idiot threatened to "shoot the place up" and frame his co-workers.
Former Tesla Battery Factory Employee Allegedly Threatened to 'Shoot the Place Up'

This guy is a duma$$.

 

[ItsNotAboutTheMoney]

Not going to happen. There may be a civil award to Tesla. He will just claim bankruptcy again and wipe out the debt.

Nope.

Dischargeability of Debt for "Willful and Malicious Injury"

 

[adaptabl]

You clearly have no experience or knowledge of how the legal system works in this case. In addition to a CIVIL suit, this guy will likely be criminally prosecuted. He's going to go to Jail unless he can reach a settlement to roll over on who he was passing the data on to.

In case you missed it, Tesla has hired a PIT BULL of a law firm to go after this guy and any associates they find. This is going to be a blood bath for all involved.

We will see.

The plot thickens in that he has previously leaked negative info about Tesla. Maybe he was setup? Maybe a way of telling others that release negative info that Tesla will make an example of you? Just speculation but who knows.

 

[bkp_duke]

We will see.

The plot thickens in that he has previously leaked negative info about Tesla. Maybe he was setup? Maybe a way of telling others that release negative info that Tesla will make an example of you? Just speculation but who knows.

Care to put your money where your mouth is? I've got $100 USD that says he was not setup.

 

[adaptabl]

Care to put your money where your mouth is? I've got $100 USD that says he was not setup.

I am not saying he is not guilty but the man is innocent until proven guilty. All options are possible.

 

[mongo]

I am not saying he is not guilty but the man is innocent until proven guilty.

The phase you are looking for is 'presumed innocent' (or presumption of innocence). Whether he is guilty or innocent has already been determined by actions which happened in the past. Schrodinger's's cat has already been observed.

All options are possible.

No, no they are not...

 

[adaptabl]

“Yesterday afternoon, we received a phone call from a friend of Mr. Tripp telling us that Mr. Tripp would be coming to the Gigafactory to ‘shoot the place up.’" A Tesla spokesperson told The Drive, "Police have been notified and actions are being taken to enhance security at the Gigafactory.”

Sure sounds like hearsay.

 

[mongo]

“Yesterday afternoon, we received a phone call from a friend of Mr. Tripp telling us that Mr. Tripp would be coming to the Gigafactory to ‘shoot the place up.’" A Tesla spokesperson told The Drive, "Police have been notified and actions are being taken to enhance security at the Gigafactory.”

Sure sounds like hearsay.

Hearsay - Wikipedia

Hearsay is reporting what you were told by someone who witnessed it. (second hand information)
Reporting what you were told is being a witness.(first hand information)
If the friend was told that by Tripp, it is not hearsay. Do you have any data to support your premise that the caller was not told by Tripp directly?

 

[adaptabl]

Hearsay - Wikipedia

Hearsay is reporting what you were told by someone who witnessed it. (second hand information)
Reporting what you were told is being a witness.(first hand information)
If the friend was told that by Tripp, it is not hearsay. Do you have any data to support your premise that the caller was not told by Tripp directly?

Do you have any evidence he was told directly? Any evidence it is not an opinion of the friend?

 

[bkp_duke]

Do you have any evidence he was told directly? Any evidence it is not an opinion of the friend?

(Double Facepalm)

That's called perjury genius. The witness is assumed and believed (even in Canadian law) to be trustworthy unless their is evidence to support otherwise. In this case, I'm sure phone logs could easily be obtained.

 

[Electroman]

s an incentive for him to disclose who the "third party" is

That information is already out and is in the WP story. The recipient is the shady Lopez from Business Insider.