‘I want to clear my name before I die’: the engineer fired by Tesla after suing the company and who faces Elon Musk in court

Former Tesla employee Cristina Balan is locked in a decades-long battle with Elon Musk’s car company.

A former employee of Tesla, Elon Musk’s car company, has faced the billionaire and the company in court for a decade and continues to demand a public apology.

Engineer Cristina Balan was a rising star at Tesla in the United States, so much so that her initials were engraved on the batteries of every Model S electric car.

But after reporting a safety issue in 2014 related to a design flaw that could have compromised cars’ braking systems, she says company management became hostile and she lost her job.

She won a lawsuit for unfair dismissal, but was later publicly accused by Tesla of using her resources for his “secret project” – a charge amounting to embezzlement, considered a crime under American law.

Balan has consistently denied the accusation and taken legal action, but years later he is still waiting for his case to be heard in a public hearing in California.

Tesla did not respond to requests from the BBC for positioning. The company never provided further details about the accusation.

Balan says she is determined to prove her innocence for the sake of her son. She is a single mother.

“I’m his hero,” he says. “I’m the mom who builds planes and cars.”

And he doesn’t want her to grow up believing that her mother was a thief.

Toward the end of our Zoom call, Cristina Balan took off her wig and, with tears in her eyes, told me that she had just finished treatment for breast cancer.

“I want to clear my name. I wish Elon Musk had the decency to apologize,” he says.

She says that although she is currently in remission from stage 3B breast cancer, her biggest concern is that she will not live to see the outcome of the court case.

Balan shared with BBC News several communications between her and Tesla during her time there.

He got off to a good start: He remembers talking to Musk in the lunch line at the employee cafeteria, and says he was happy and successful. Passionate about cars since childhood in Romania, she had realized a dream.

“It all went down the drain when I realized they were hiding some critical security issues,” he says.

Balan was concerned that the floor mats were curling under some pedals – a simple but potentially fatal design flaw – and said customers had complained.

“If you can’t hit the brakes, someone else other than the Tesla could get hurt,” he says.

“They should have just said, ‘We realize the carpets are terrible, just get them out of the cars.’”

But managers dismissed his concerns and became hostile, Balan says.

He then sent an email to Musk, who had encouraged employees to contact him personally to clarify any concerns that might affect Tesla’s reputation.

“I sent him two emails,” Balan says.

“I sent one before I left [da Tesla]telling him we were all under threat.”

“In my head, I thought, ‘He still wants to do what’s right for Tesla.’”

But it didn’t work and Balan lost his job.

BBC News took the former employee’s allegations to Tesla, but received no response.

The company website states: “Safety is the most important part of every Tesla.”

“We design our vehicles to exceed safety standards.”

Another former Tesla employee, Lukasz Krupski, said he had a similar experience, unrelated to the case, after emailing Musk about concerns about working conditions at Tesla’s headquarters in Norway.

And Balan says other Tesla employees may be “afraid to speak out.”

His case will be heard at some point by the California Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.

It’s his only chance to regain his professional reputation, Balan believes.

“I don’t want to give up my career,” he says.

“And I know if I don’t win [o processo]It doesn’t matter how good I am.”

“Everyone will see what Tesla says [mim]so my career is over.”

“I don’t want that to happen.”

Musk’s leadership style is famously unconventional, but some people who have worked for him say he gets results.

Dolly Singh, who worked for Musk at SpaceX between 2008 and 2013, previously told BBC News that he was an “incredible leader”.

“If he didn’t, he wouldn’t be accomplishing the things he’s accomplishing,” he said in 2022.

“Yes, it’s tiring working for Elon. But I think it’s a workout like no other.”

US attorney Gordon Schnell, of Constantine Cannon, says a growing number of technology professionals are speaking out against companies’ practices.

The risks are very high because technology products have “a pretty large impact on the world,” he says.

“It really affects all of our lives.”

But the advice of Schnell, who specializes in representing whistleblowers, is to explore all possible options before making any allegations public.

“There are many protected channels in many different industries that a whistleblower can use to raise confidential concerns with the government agencies best suited to address those concerns,” he points out.

*Additional reporting by Philippa Wain.

Source: Terra

Rose

Rose James is a Gossipify movie and series reviewer known for her in-depth analysis and unique perspective on the latest releases. With a background in film studies, she provides engaging and informative reviews, and keeps readers up to date with industry trends and emerging talents.