Even before his short-lived bromance with US President Donald Trump grabbed headlines, billionaire Elon Musk was already a constant presence in the media. It is obvious why he was at the centre of public conversation. As the richest man in the world and the main force behind Tesla, he created one of the most recognisable international brands and set a worldwide trend in electric vehicles.
It is not just Musk’s business successes which made him the most-talked-about entrepreneur in recent times. His polarising personality, controversial style of leadership and combative online persona have all combined to evoke interest in the life and times of Musk.
Though he has several profitable ventures to his credit, Musk is primarily identified with Tesla, the start-up he transformed into a billion-dollar conglomerate. In The Tesla Files: The Inside Story of Musk’s Empire, investigative journalists Sonke Iwersen and Michael Verfurden, with the German newspaper Handelsblatt, dig deep to provide a rare peek into the internal functioning of this world-famous car company. Their findings do not make for pretty reading as they show how safety norms are sacrificed in favour of speed, how dissent and criticism are not just discouraged but crushed and how Musk’s demanding leadership and bizarre behaviour leave the workforce exhausted and living in constant fear.
The book is based on a series of articles published in Handelsblatt following rigorous investigation by the authors and their team. It all started when an anonymous whistleblower, a former Tesla employee, got in touch with Iwersen and said he had access to sensitive internal data from Tesla and asked if his newspaper would be interested in looking into it.
Initially sceptical, Iwersen was intrigued enough to pursue the conversation for, as he says, “few companies have the magnetic appeal Tesla has.” But when the promised data landed, he was stunned. The multiple files contained sensitive details about Tesla employees, including salary data, bank statements, social security information, along with invoices, confidential internal communication and customer complaints. At a time when data protection is top priority in the corporate world, Iwersen says, “It isn’t fathomable that an untold amount of sensitive information like this is floating around the internal network.”
Once the authenticity of the material was established, the team of investigative journalists at Handelsblatt got cracking. They sifted through the 23,000 files provided by the whistleblower and analysed them in detail. This was followed up with several interviews with current and former Tesla employees, while internal memos and leaked emails were obtained to build a watertight case. It was not an easy task as the employees were reluctant to talk for fear of reprisal.
The book is based on a series of articles published in Handelsblatt following rigorous investigation by the authors and their team
But slowly, the team’s perseverance paid off, and the pieces started falling in place. It found that the workforce at Tesla was not just underpaid and overworked but was also exposed to serious safety risks as basic labour protections were given the go-by. The probe further revealed that Tesla was notorious for its “unusually high number of workplace accidents” as production targets were accorded greater priority, often at the cost of safety measures. There were innumerable complaints about the toxic work atmosphere, the unrealistic deadlines, and the constant pressure employees were subjected to with executives arriving unannounced at the homes of those on sick leave.
Musk himself came across as a “control freak —prone to suspicion, sudden turns and flashes of paranoia.” Employees complained they were routinely humiliated by Musk at internal meetings and even called idiots. Speaking about the Tesla CEO’s “bullheadedness”, they said, there was no room for independent thinking at the company. “Tesla doesn’t want thinkers—it wants henchmen and trained monkeys”, a former employee told the journalists.
As the investigation gathered pace, the Handelsblatt team uncovered shocking details about recurring technical snags in Tesla’s famed Autopilot software and driver-assistance systems, which were totally at variance with the company’s marketing claims. The authors spoke to a number of customers who complained about how the Tesla vehicle either stalled on a highway or accelerated suddenly, often veering off the road or crashing into stationary objects, even bursting into flames. There have also been several reports of fatalities. Interestingly, Tesla vehicles are monitored electronically by the company, but the data it compiles is never made available to investigators or the families who have lost their loved ones. Internal notes, accessed by the journalists, showed the company did acknowledge the fact of an accident but marked the case as resolved.
The book also notes that Musk rolled out the Autopilot software and driver-assist technology even though his engineering team warned of serious safety risks and that the vehicle’s features did not deliver on the grand promises made to the public. A similar situation arose when Musk insisted on the installation of retractable door handles, which subsequently proved to be a safety hazard, resulting in the death of two teenagers. “At Tesla, Musk’s whims seem to override every argument—even in matters of life and death,” the authors point out. The Tesla Files is a gripping read with the authors providing a step-by-step account of how they went about uncovering the truth behind Tesla’s workplace culture regarding its safety claims. Not only do the authors demystify a powerful company, but their work is also a masterclass in investigative reporting, setting a fine example for both journalists and newspaper owners.