
Another former Tesla security manager says the company spied on employees - AndrewBissell
https://www.businessinsider.com/former-tesla-employee-files-whistleblowing-tip-with-sec-2019-3
======
Zelphyr
As an aside, if you’re using company-provided computers and phones your
default behavior should be to assume they are spying on you to the degree that
they are recording every action you take in those devices. It’s a
spectrum—many companies don’t do this at all—but you would be doing well by
yourself by assuming they record and track everything. You should also assume
all of your traffic while at the office (if your comapny is old school and you
only have a desktop) is being recorded.

~~~
throwawaynonce
> You should also assume all of your traffic while at the office

I fell out with my manager at FANG and she got back at me with the lowest
rating possible for the year-end review. I chose to get my concerns across to
HR about how this was unfair and challenged them to validate her critical
feedback with peer engs. Didn't happen.

Instead what followed was, I was investigated for violation of company rules
such as putting company laptop to personal use, violating social media policy,
holding on to company documents for more time than company's policy permits...
among a lot of such trivial other things (I was astonished at the intelligence
they had built up, I guess, by using responses to internal surveys, predicting
probability to have done something via browsing patterns, keeping tabs on
laptop disk usage etc).

Once they had built "a case" they would go on to engage legal and terminate my
employment with what I presume now qualifies as "just cause" and avoid having
to pay any severance.

Has worked wonders for them, this tactic. I have since heared that a few other
employees have been handled in a similar manner and that I was not the only
one.

~~~
reverend_gonzo
Remember the following:

HR is not your friend. HRs duty is to the company. If what you need and what
the company needs are on the same page, sure, HR is on your side, but if not,
they will do whatever it is that benefits and protects the company.

~~~
dymk
This advice is about as useful as the also ever-present HN saying, “if you’re
not paying for it, you’re the product”

In other words, entirely useless and just a derailment of the thread.

~~~
mdorazio
I disagree. This is a cautionary statement for other people in the same
situation as the parent post - if your boss has it out for you, HR is unlikely
to have your back. Polish your resume, get an offer somewhere else, be
explicit in your exit interview and don't sign any NDAs.

------
anyfoo
You might think that the way Tesla treats employees, like this incident and
the general impression that they are being driven into burnout, has some
consequences. And I think that’s exactly what we’re seeing with the generally
tumultuous news that we see on Tesla lately. Heck, there’s another HN front
page entry just today, about Tesla’s sudden reversal to close all stores.

It’s probably not the only factor, but I would be surprised if it is not at
least _a_ factor.

~~~
AndrewBissell
If it was not for the strength of cult belief in Elon Musk within the company,
they would probably be facing an open revolt at this point.

Don't miss "incentivizing employees to take out loans and spend PTO on new
Teslas just before docking their pay":
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19361710](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19361710)

------
woodandsteel
Here's another article with a different take:
[https://electrek.co/2019/03/11/tesla-former-security-
manager...](https://electrek.co/2019/03/11/tesla-former-security-manager-
corroborates-claim-large-theft-criminal-activity-gigafactory-1/)

~~~
dayaz36
Electrek writes the best articles. FUD free

~~~
woodandsteel
Well I don't know if they are perfect, but they are miles better than the ton
of anti-Tesla propaganda that has been flooding the media for the last year or
two.

By the way, I am not saying there are not important criticisms of Musk and
Tesla, it's that you need to balance it with all the things that are
praiseworthy, and lately that just hasn't been happening. It seems like the
more Tesla succeeds, the harder the media try to prove he is either a con man
or a complete idiot.

~~~
ctack
As I see it, it's as an extension of the SpaceX smear campaign which, crazy as
it sounds, seems like it's a real thing.

------
ggm
Tesla is anti union. Tesla spies on employees. Why do I see a nexus here?

~~~
rcMgD2BwE72F
The thing is, unions were anti-Tesla first. And there are very good reasons
for that

[https://www.reuters.com/article/us-germany-
electromobility-j...](https://www.reuters.com/article/us-germany-
electromobility-jobs/switch-to-electric-cars-threatens-75000-german-auto-
industry-jobs-idUSKCN1J115L)

[https://www.reuters.com/article/us-autos-ford-motor-
union/as...](https://www.reuters.com/article/us-autos-ford-motor-union/as-
ford-pushes-into-electric-vehicles-u-s-union-aims-to-save-jobs-idUSKBN1CA2EI)

------
dkural
In the Elon Way of Thinking, unless you 100% agree on everything and drink the
cool aid and roll with rapid reversal of logic giving you whiplash, you are
against the mission, and thus the enemy. Since everyone can one day disagree,
and thus is potentially the enemy, the conclusion is we must spy on all
internal and external entities; and when they disagree with anything, for
instance, wanting a better workplace, question their motives. Another example:
The SEC simply wants CEOs of a public company, you know, not to lie on twitter
about material stuff like having a deal to buy-out the company... but
according to Elon, the SEC simply wants to destroy Tesla; is part of a
sinister network of anti-Elon forces, and can't possibly be actually watching
out for investors and pensions. This is the mentality of a paranoid dictator.
Short-sellers, who are to Elon are like Hillary/Muller to Trump on Twitter,
are seeing a company constantly missing self-imposed goals and milestones,
must also have be evil people, as opposed to simply pointing out the blatant
issues on hand.

~~~
hi5eyes
totallynotacult

elon's hubris makes him and his actions with his companies pretty great
entertainment but his treatment of employees and his followers treatment of
those not drinking his kool aid is scary. his/teslas brand is interesting

------
dang
Url changed from [https://www.theverge.com/2019/3/11/18259786/tesla-spying-
emp...](https://www.theverge.com/2019/3/11/18259786/tesla-spying-employees-
security-manager-whistleblower-gigafactory-nevada), which points to this.

