The Tesla founder wasn’t about to let the employee defy him without facing consequences. If you ever contemplate betraying your company by disclosing confidential information, it’s a risky move, especially if that company is Tesla, and your boss is none other than Elon Musk.
One audacious Tesla employee learned this lesson the hard way when Musk devised a brilliant strategy to expose them. Normally, tweets directed at high-profile CEOs like Elon Musk get lost in the vastness of Twitter (or Xverse now), given the competition for visibility among his 164 million followers.
However, a fortunate X user managed to catch Musk’s attention by inquiring about his Tesla employee. Vaibhav Balghare (@NASAEarthMars) queried Elon Musk on X about how he caught the employee selling ‘confidential data’ about the automotive company.
Musk shared his clever method for unveiling the culprit: “We sent what seemed to be identical emails to all, but each was actually coded with either one or two spaces between sentences, forming a binary signature that identified the leaker.”
Once the case was resolved, and the binary signature deciphered, Musk opted against legal action, citing being ‘too busy trying to survive at the time.’ This incident contrasts with the persona of the billionaire Tesla founder we know today.
However, it’s crucial to note that this case occurred during the global 2008 recession, a period when Tesla faced financial challenges drastically different from its current prosperous state. Indeed, Tesla was on the brink of bankruptcy on Christmas Eve that year after what was described as a ‘crazy tough year.’
The Tesla staff member did receive the boot, although Musk framed it in a lighter tone, mentioning that ‘they were invited to further their career elsewhere.’ The exact behind-the-scenes dynamics at Tesla remain uncertain.
While Musk unveiled his covert method for exposing disloyal employees, it undeniably sends a clear message to both current Tesla staff and potential hires: leaking sensitive information isn’t a straightforward task, especially in the digital realm, and evading detection becomes even more challenging when your boss is as tech-savvy as Elon Musk.
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