Tesla is suing the employee Elon Musk claimed committed sabotage against the company
- Tesla has filed a lawsuit against the employee CEO Elon Musk said committed sabotage against the company, Bloomberg first reported.
- The lawsuit was filed in Nevada on Tuesday.
- On Monday, Musk said an employee had changed parts of Tesla's manufacturing operating system code and sent "highly sensitive" company data to outside parties, according to an internal email acquired by CNBC.
Tesla has filed a lawsuit against the employee CEO Elon Musk said committed sabotage against the company, Bloomberg first reported.
The lawsuit was filed in Nevada on Tuesday and alleges the former employee, Martin Tripp, "unlawfully hacked the company's confidential and trade secret information and transferred that information to third parties."
Tesla declined to comment on the lawsuit.
On Monday, Musk said an employee had changed parts of the company's manufacturing operating system code and sent "highly sensitive" company data to outside parties, according to an internal email acquired by CNBC.
Musk said the saboteur's actions were motivated by his desire for a promotion he didn't receive. It has not been determined if the employee acted alone or with other parties, Musk reportedly said.
Musk said that companies and people who don't want Tesla to succeed - like short-sellers, oil and gas companies, and competing automakers - could potentially seek to harm the company.
"Don't want to blow your mind, but rumor has it that those companies are sometimes not super nice," he said. "If they're willing to cheat so much about emissions, maybe they're willing to cheat in other ways?"
Tesla declined a request for comment on the email.
You can read the full email Musk reportedly sent to Tesla employees on Sunday night below.
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