The Tesla Files: A Whistleblower, a Leak, a Fight for Truth: The Inside Story of Musk’s Empire

In this riveting debut investigation, Iwesen and Verfürden, journalists at the German newspaper Handelsblatt, uncover Tesla’s shadowy and dangerous business practices. Based on a series of articles the duo published beginning in May 2023, the account opens with an enormous data dump from a former Tesla service technician turned whistleblower. These “more than 23,000 files” consist of bank statements, invoices, and employees’ private records, all of which had been accessible to anyone in the company. In addition to shockingly nonexistent data security, the files reveal serious flaws in Tesla’s self-driving program Autopilot, which can accelerate without cause; poor labor practices, like executives showing up at the homes of employees on sick leave; and lax safety measures (the whistleblower himself had to put out a burning Tesla). The authors convey these revelations through their own perspective as investigators—from their excitement at receiving the files to their dismay when the whistleblower’s home is raided by authorities—providing an intimate window into the exhilarating and intimidating experience of going up against the world’s richest man. Through their dogged research, the authors portray Tesla as plagued by company-wide corner-cutting and gross mismanagement—issues that they allege originate from Musk’s own impulsive, paranoid style, wherein “whims.... override every argument” and a philosophical fixation on the distant future can excuse any safety lapse. It’s a deeply unsettling exposé. (Sept.)