

News
Tesla lawsuit defendant fires lawyers after TSLA short financing is revealed
Tesla’s lawsuit against former employee Martin Tripp has taken an unusual turn.
After publishing a large number of documents and videos online over the last week, including many under a confidentiality order in the case, Tripp has now fired his lawyers and will represent himself moving forward. Notably, this action coincided with the revelation that a TSLA short seller, The Funicular Fund, LP (dba Cable Car Capital LLC), was financing Tripp’s legal defense.
The case has been ongoing since 2018 wherein Tesla filed a complaint alleging that Tripp, a former process technician at Gigafactory 1 in Nevada, had stolen several gigabytes of confidential trade secret information and transferred it to third parties. Tripp denies wrongdoing and claims to be a whistleblower reporting evidence of securities fraud and concerns over safety during early Model 3 manufacturing. He has further filed a counterclaim against Tesla in the case, alleging defamation.
Following a report published by Bloomberg revealing Car Capital’s financial role in the case, Tripp took to Twitter to both double down and explain his actions.
“Why should it be a secret as to who is financing my litigation? …My Attys were certainly secretive, and made it clear that I NOT say a word about it if questioned…,” he wrote. “To be clear…I did NOT accept money to fund my litigation from a ‘short seller.’ I accepted litigation financing from an investor… They DID tell me they short tesla stock (and other stocks if I am not mistaken). But, I don’t give a shit about shorting, whatever the hell it is. I care about, you guessed it…the truth, and being able to fight for it.”
In the documents Tripp published via Google Drive, several letters and two documents titled “Litigation Funding Agreement” revealed that Cable Car Capital had invested $150,000 into Tripp’s defense and another $125,000 was later sought after the first round was near exhaustion. Tesla responded immediately to the revelation and filed an Emergency Motion on Monday demanding Tripp be ordered to stop publishing the information and stop ‘harassing’ the carmaker’s counsel, among other things.
In addition to publishing confidential information, Tripp had also posted a copy of an email from Tesla’s counsel, Jeanine Zalduendo, to his attorneys demanding the cessation of his actions. “No Jeanine, I don’t think I will…,” he wrote on Twitter with an image of the correspondence attached.
The judge in the case, formally Tesla Inc. v. Tripp and assigned number 18-cv-00296 in USDC District of Nevada (Reno), held an emergency court hearing via teleconference the same day of Tesla’s emergency filing. Tripp was ordered to stop publishing and discussing the confidential information and a hearing was scheduled to determine whether he would also be held in contempt of court and face sanctions, according to Bloomberg.
On Tuesday, Tripp’s lawyer filed a Motion to Withdraw as Counsel with Consent, formally ending the firm’s relationship with the defendant. “On August 7, 2020, undersigned counsel received notice via an e-mail sent from Mr. Tripp’s e-mail address that he wished to terminate the attorney-client relationship and represent himself,” the document stated. The former Tesla employee also posted several videos on YouTube detailing his actions and decision.
Throughout his numerous Twitter discussion threads on the matter in the hours since learning about Tesla’s Emergency Motion, Tripp has continued to discuss the original confidential information in depth. Part of the communications has detailed how difficult it was to obtain legal funding to counter the lawsuit originally. Tripp has also set up a GoFundMe account to assist with both legal expenses and his cost of living in Hungary, where he currently resides.
Tesla’s Emergency Motion can be read below.
Tesla v Tripp – Tesla Emerg… by DJ Ferris on Scribd
Elon Musk
USDOT Secretary visits Tesla Giga Texas, hints at national autonomous vehicle standards
The Transportation Secretary also toured the factory’s production lines and spoke with CEO Elon Musk.

United States Department of Transportation (USDOT) Secretary Sean Duffy recently visited Tesla’s Gigafactory Texas complex, where he toured the factory’s production lines and spoke with CEO Elon Musk. In a video posted following his Giga Texas visit, Duffy noted that he believes there should be a national standard for autonomous vehicles in the United States.
Duffy’s Giga Texas Visit
As could be seen in videos of his Giga Texas visit, the Transportation Secretary seemed to appreciate the work Tesla has been doing to put the United States in the forefront of innovation. “Tesla is one of the many companies helping our country reach new heights. USDOT will be right there all the way to make sure Americans stay safe,” Duffy wrote in a post on X.
He also praised Tesla for its autonomous vehicle program, highlighting that “We need American companies to keep innovating so we can outcompete the rest of the world.”
National Standard
While speaking with Tesla CEO Elon Musk, the Transportation Secretary stated that other autonomous ride-hailing companies have been lobbying for a national standard for self-driving cars. Musk shared the sentiment, stating that “It’d be wonderful for the United States to have a national set of rules for autonomous driving as opposed to 50 independent sets of rules on a state-by-state rules basis.”
Duffy agreed with the CEO’s point, stating that, “You can’t have 50 different rules for 50 different states. You need one standard.” He also noted that the Transportation Department has asked autonomous vehicle companies to submit data. By doing so, the USDOT could develop a standard for the entire United States, allowing self-driving cars to operate in a manner that is natural and safe.
News
Tesla posts Optimus’ most impressive video demonstration yet
The humanoid robot was able to complete all the tasks through a single neural network.

When Elon Musk spoke with CNBC’s David Faber in an interview at Giga Texas, he reiterated the idea that Optimus will be one of Tesla’s biggest products. Seemingly to highlight the CEO’s point, the official Tesla Optimus account on social media platform X shared what could very well be the most impressive demonstration of the humanoid robot’s capabilities to date.
Optimus’ Newest Demonstration
In its recent video demonstration, the Tesla Optimus team featured the humanoid robot performing a variety of tasks. These include household chores such as throwing the trash, using a broom and a vacuum cleaner, tearing a paper towel, stirring a pot of food, opening a cabinet, and closing a curtain, among others. The video also featured Optimus picking up a Model X fore link and placing it on a dolly.
What was most notable in the Tesla Optimus team’s demonstration was the fact that the humanoid robot was able to complete all the tasks through a single neural network. The robot’s actions were also learned directly from Optimus being fed data from first-person videos of humans performing similar tasks. This system should pave the way for Optimus to learn and refine new skills quickly and reliably.
Tesla VP for Optimus Shares Insight
In a follow-up post on X, Tesla Vice President of Optimus (Tesla Bot) Milan Kovac stated that one of the team’s goals is to have Optimus learn straight from internet videos of humans performing tasks, including footage captured in third person or by random cameras.
“We recently had a significant breakthrough along that journey, and can now transfer a big chunk of the learning directly from human videos to the bots (1st person views for now). This allows us to bootstrap new tasks much faster compared to teleoperated bot data alone (heavier operationally).
“Many new skills are emerging through this process, are called for via natural language (voice/text), and are run by a single neural network on the bot (multi-tasking). Next: expand to 3rd person video transfer (aka random internet), and push reliability via self-play (RL) in the real-, and/or synthetic- (sim / world models) world,” Kovac wrote in his post on X.
News
Starship Flight 9 nears as SpaceX’s Starbase becomes a Texan City
SpaceX’s launch site is officially incorporated as Starbase, TX. Starship Flight 9 could launch on May 27, 2025.

SpaceX’s Starbase is officially incorporated as a city in Texas, aligning with preparations for Starship Flight 9. The newly formed city in Cameron County serves as the heart of SpaceX’s Starship program.
Starbase City spans 1.5 square miles, encompassing SpaceX’s launch facility and company-owned land. A near-unanimous vote by residents, who were mostly SpaceX employees, led to its incorporation. SpaceX’s Vice President of Test and Launch, Bobby Peden, was elected mayor of Starbase. The new Texas city also has two SpaceX employees as commissioners. All Starbase officials will serve two-year terms unless extended to four by voters.
As the new city takes shape, SpaceX is preparing for the Starship Flight 9 launch, which is tentatively scheduled for May 27, 2025, at 6:30 PM CDT from Starbase, Texas.
SpaceX secured Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) approval for up to 25 annual Starship and Super Heavy launches from the site. However, the FAA emphasized that “there are other licensing requirements still to be completed,” including policy, safety, and environmental reviews.
On May 15, the FAA noted SpaceX updated its launch license for Flight 9, but added: “SpaceX may not launch until the FAA either closes the Starship Flight 8 mishap investigation or makes a return to flight determination. The FAA is reviewing the mishap report SpaceX submitted on May 14.”
Proposed Texas legislation could empower Starbase officials to close local highways and restrict Boca Chica Beach access during launches. Cameron County Judge Eddie Trevino, Jr., opposes the Texas legislation, insisting beach access remain under county control. This tension highlights the balance between SpaceX’s ambitions and local interests.
Starbase’s incorporation strengthens SpaceX’s operational base as it gears up for Starship Flight 9, a critical step in its mission to revolutionize space travel. With growing infrastructure and regulatory hurdles in focus, Starbase is poised to become a cornerstone of SpaceX’s vision, blending community development with cutting-edge aerospace innovation.
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