Tesla Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA) is suing a former employee who allegedly exported data and trade secrets to a third party, according to a Bloomberg report.
CEO Elon Musk sent an email to his employees Sunday evening claiming that he had received information about an employee “who had conducted quite extensive and damaging sabotage” to the company’s operations.
READ: Tesla CEO Elon Musk emails employees about a possible saboteur in its ranks
The former process technician at the Nevada Gigafactory had been passed over for a promotion and is said to have retaliated against the company by making direct code changes to the manufacturing operating system under false usernames, according to the email. Then, the employee allegedly exported large amounts of “highly sensitive” data to unknown third parties, including confidential photographs and video of the company’s manufacturing system.
Tesla also claims that the employee lied to the media by providing false information, including claims that punctured battery cells were being used in vehicles,
READ: Electric car maker Tesla slashes 9% of its workforce as part of what Elon Musk calls a 'difficult, but necessary' reorganization
In the email shared by CNBC, Musk warned employees to be mindful of the Wall Street "short sellers and outside forces" he believes is trying to stand in the way of Tesla reaching its production goal of 5,000 electric vehicles per week.
Musk directed employees to an email address where they could send an anonymous note about suspicious activity within the company.
The electric vehicle company filed a lawsuit in Nevada federal court.
Shares of Tesla were up more than 1% to US$356.87 in Wednesday afternoon trading.