Elon Musk: Force for anthropic advancement or self-serving con-artist?

Tesla whistleblower wins latest legal battle in fight against Musk​

A Tesla whistleblower who has fought Elon Musk and his company through the courts for years has won the latest round of a long-running legal battle.

Engineer Cristina Balan lost her job after she raised a safety concern in 2014 about a design flaw which could affect the cars' braking.

Her defamation claim against the firm seemed to have run out of road when a judge confirmed an arbitration decision dismissing her case - but a panel of appeal judges in California has reversed this decision in her favour.

She told BBC News she now wants to face Elon Musk and Tesla in open court.

Tesla has not responded to a request for comment.

Ms Balan said she believes the case will now in effect go back to square one, and new proceedings can be launched.

"We are hoping we will start a new lawsuit and we will have the chance to take on Elon Musk in front of a jury and judge," she said.

The engineer was once so prominent at Tesla that her initials were engraved on the batteries inside Model S vehicles.

In an interview with BBC News last year, she said she is determined to prove her innocence for the sake of her son.

She also revealed she was in remission from stage-3B breast cancer, and her biggest worry was she may not live to see her final day in court.

Ms Balan claimed she was worried the carpets were curling underneath some pedals in Tesla models, creating a safety hazard.

She said managers rebuffed her concerns, became hostile, and she lost her job.

She then won a wrongful dismissal case - but this turned out to be the start of a long journey through the courts.

Ms Balan was publicly accused by Tesla of using its resources for a "secret project" - accusations which amount to embezzlement, a crime under US law.

She has consistently denied the accusation, and decided to bring a defamation case against the firm in 2019.

"I want to clear my name," she told BBC News last year.

"I wish Elon Musk had the decency to apologise."

A court then decided Ms Balan's case should be subject to arbitration per a contract she signed while working for Tesla.

The arbitrator found in favour of the firm and Musk, dismissing her claims, due to California's statute of limitations - meaning too much time had passed since the alleged defamatory statements were made.

Tesla brought the case back to a district court in California to have the decision confirmed.

However, Ms Balan appealed this decision, and judges from the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit found in her favour - in effect deciding the California court did not have the jurisdiction to make its judgement.

They have ordered for the confirmation of the arbitration award to be cancelled, and for the district court to dismiss the action due to its lack of jurisdiction.

What could happen next?​

The majority of legal experts the BBC has spoken to believe the case has some way to go before there will be any conclusion.

"Tesla is among the many corporations that force employees and customers into opaque arbitration processes and deploy aggressive strategies to retaliate against employees who voice criticism of corporate practices," said Stanford professor Anat Admati.

And Bill Moran, Ms Balan's attorney, agreed the legal process is far from over.

But he said the case was "revived" by the latest ruling.

"We are confident we can secure her either a new arbitration or alternatively a trial in court so that her case can be heard on the merits after so many years," he said.

"She has fought cancer while waging this case... she is the epitome of strength and resolve, and she is now one step closer to getting the justice she deserves."
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cevdz4yxpd9o
 
Elon Musk’s business empire is built on $38 billion in government funding (avoiding paywall)

Over the years, Musk and his businesses have received at least $38 billion in government contracts, loans, subsidies and tax credits, often at critical moments, a Washington Post analysis has found, helping seed the growth that has made him the world’s richest person.

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It's hilarious that the wealthiest man on Earth and his companies, receive such insane subsidies and tax credits from the government.

What's the argument for this practice to continue and even expand?
 
It's hilarious that the wealthiest man on Earth and his companies, receive such insane subsidies and tax credits from the government.

What's the argument for this practice to continue and even expand?

Inherent unprofitability of automobile manufacturing business.
 
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Here's a picture worth a thousand memes.

Profit is the 1990's concept. Everyone is looking at revenue now. Auto sales dropping 21% is all that needs to be said about the situation.

Trump is actively destroying his buddy's business. (His way of saying thanks!) I expect Musk's patience will fizzle out soon enough.

Musk being a vengeful one expect a rift between the two soon enough.

:popcorn:
 
People are buying into Musk's promises about what is just around the corner for Tesla.

Even when the company delivers an awful quarterly earnings report (the company is atm unprofitable), the investors reward them and the stock goes up. That Musk hasn't delivered on his latest promises (his promise on a working FSD system, has been used as a carrot for the investors since before 2020) - doesn't seem to make a difference.

But someone are making gangbusters profits on the stock being so volatile, every time Musk or Trump makes a tweet.
 
Even when the company delivers an awful quarterly earnings report (the company is atm unprofitable), the investors reward them and the stock goes up.

Bad report --> Reward, would be the amateur view. Stock market valuation constantly readjusts. Main points of re-adjusment are quarterly report dates. A company can be in terrible state, but shoots up when quarterly report is released. Happens all the time. That is not because zealot investors rewarded the company for being bad. No, the company was oversold before the report. Tesla fell more than 50% from its latest peak. That was irrational behaviour. So the price was readjusted to correspond to reality more precisely.

But someone are making gangbusters profits on the stock being so volatile, every time Musk or Trump makes a tweet.

That would be the option traders and hedge funds, who thrive on any volatility. To them it doesn't matter what happens as long as it's loud.
 
The markets irrational response to Teslas earnings call, is likely a result of Musk hyping all the new products that are right around the corner for the company; including a million humanoid robots. We've seen it twenty times before by now.

I call it well-timed damage control.
 
Profit is the 1990's concept. Everyone is looking at revenue now.

Not having profitable operations is bad, actually

The markets irrational response to Teslas earnings call, is likely a result of Musk hyping all the new products that are right around the corner for the company; including a million humanoid robots. We've seen it twenty times before by now.

I call it well-timed damage control.

Not really, the bad results were already priced in and IIRC were slightly better than expected.

Now, it is definitely true that anyone who believes Musk's claims about fully autonomous vehicles and humanlike robots is a big dummy
 
Musk claiming to step back from Doge is also a signal that there will be less brand damage than previous sales predicted.
 
Not having profitable operations is bad, actually

Yes and no. In sausage business being unprofitable for a short stretch if time will end with you being replaced by another.

In low margin automobile business of a certain scope and strategic importance, being unprofitable is a feature which underlines management’s willingness to expand operations.

And, as such, attracts additional capital.
 
Tesla's success will depend upon car sales.
 
But isn't it the US Congress that approves these policies and make them into law, since these subsidies are taxpayer funded?

One of the big arguments for why Tesla needs subsidies is that the subsidies are needed for the US to compete with China in autonomous vehicle development, which is supposedly crucial to the Great Power game.
 
But isn't it the US Congress that approves these policies and make them into law, since these subsidies are taxpayer funded?
Trump wants to act without getting congressional approval. Remember, he is both King and the leader of the world.
 
Tesla Board Opened Search for a CEO to Succeed Elon Musk

About a month ago, with Tesla’s stock sinking and some investors irritated about Elon Musk’s White House focus, Tesla’s board got serious about looking for Musk’s successor.

Board members reached out to several executive search firms to work on a formal process for finding Tesla’s next chief executive, according to people familiar with the discussions.
 
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