News
Tesla claims Rivian stole trade secrets, poached employees in new lawsuit
Tesla has opened a lawsuit against fellow electric vehicle manufacturer Rivian, stating that an “alarming pattern” of poaching employees and thieving trade secrets has taken place.
Tesla claims that four former employees took highly sensitive information with them after they left to work for Rivian. However, Tesla believes that there could be at least two more individuals who went to the company and took secrets with them to Rivian, Bloomberg reported.
A complaint filed by Tesla in the San Jose, California state court says, “Misappropriating Tesla’s competitively useful confidential information when leaving Tesla for a new employer is obviously wrong and risky.”
“One would engage in that behavior only for an important benefit — to use it to serve the competitive interests of a new employer,” Tesla added to the complaint.
Rivian recently closed a $2.5 billion investment round led by fund manager T. Rowe Price. The company has an extensive list of investors that includes Amazon, Ford Motor Company, and Cox Automotive. The company has denied any involvement in obtaining Tesla’s private information and stated that it requires newly onboarded employees to confirm that they will not utilize past employer information into Rivian’s infrastructure.
Employees are required to confirm “that they have not, and will not, introduce former employers’ intellectual property into Rivian systems.”
The company, headed by CEO R.J. Scaringe, is working on releasing its first all-electric vehicle, the R1T pickup. It is set to begin production in early 2021.
“Rivian is made up of high-performing, mission-driven teams, and our business model and technology are based on many years of engineering, design, and strategy development,” the company said via e-mail. “This requires the contribution and know-how of thousands of employees from across the technology and automotive spaces.”
The case is eerily reminiscent of Tesla’s lawsuit against China’s Xpeng Motors, which also entailed that a former employee took secrets to a new employer after leaving Tesla.
In that case, Tesla accused Guangzhi Cao of downloading the company’s Autopilot source code to his personal computer and transferring it via Apple Airdrop before selling it to Xpeng Motors for financial gain.
Cao maintains that he did download some of Autopilot’s source code to his personal computer while working for Tesla, but stated he did delete it before joining Xpeng.
The case is currently still ongoing.
In the past, Tesla CEO Elon Musk has stated that his company has no competitors who are also interested in transitioning mainstream passenger transport to electrification. While true, the company has established itself as a leader in the industry, and with that comes competitors biting at the company’s heels.
Statements made by Rivian show that the company sees Tesla as a leader in the surge toward electrification. Rivian said, “we admire Tesla for its leadership in resetting expectations of what an electric car can be.”
The case will take place in California’s Superior Court in Santa Clara County. It is recognized as Tesla Inc. v. Rivian Automotive Inc., case number 20CV368472.
Elon Musk
Starlink achieves major milestones in 2025 progress report
Starlink wrapped up 2025 with impressive growth, adding more than 4.6 million new active customers and expanding service to 35 additional countries, territories, and markets.
Starlink wrapped up 2025 with impressive growth, adding more than 4.6 million new active customers and expanding service to 35 additional countries, territories, and markets. The company also completed deployment of its first-generation Direct to Cell constellation, launching over 650 satellites in just 18 months to enable cellular connectivity.
SpaceX highlighted Starlink’s impressive 2025 progress in an extensive report.
Key achievements from Starlink’s 2025 Progress
Starlink connected over 4.6 million new customers with high-speed internet while bringing service to 35 more regions worldwide in 2025. Starlink is now connecting 9.2 million people worldwide. The service achieved this just weeks after hitting its 8 million customer milestone.
Starlink is now available in 155 markets, including areas that are unreachable by traditional ISPs. As per SpaceX, Starlink has also provided over 21 million airline passengers and 20 million cruise passengers with reliable high-speed internet connectivity during their travels.
Starlink Direct to Cell
Starlink’s Direct to Cell constellation, more than 650 satellites strong, has already connected over 12 million people at least once, marking a breakthrough in global mobile coverage.
Starlink Direct to Cell is currently rolled out to 22 countries and 6 continents, with over 6 million monthly customers. Starlink Direct to Cell also has 27 MNO partners to date.
“This year, SpaceX completed deployment of the first generation of the Starlink Direct to Cell constellation, with more than 650 satellites launched to low-Earth orbit in just 18 months. Starlink Direct to Cell has connected more than 12 million people, and counting, at least once, providing life-saving connectivity when people need it most,” SpaceX wrote.
News
Tesla Giga Nevada celebrates production of 6 millionth drive unit
To celebrate the milestone, the Giga Nevada team gathered for a celebratory group photo.
Tesla’s Giga Nevada has reached an impressive milestone, producing its 6 millionth drive unit as 2925 came to a close.
To celebrate the milestone, the Giga Nevada team gathered for a celebratory group photo.
6 million drive units
The achievement was shared by the official Tesla Manufacturing account on social media platform X. “Congratulations to the Giga Nevada team for producing their 6 millionth Drive Unit!” Tesla wrote.
The photo showed numerous factory workers assembled on the production floor, proudly holding golden balloons that spelled out “6000000″ in front of drive unit assembly stations. Elon Musk gave credit to the Giga Nevada team, writing, “Congrats on 6M drive units!” in a post on X.
Giga Nevada’s essential role
Giga Nevada produces drive units, battery packs, and energy products. The facility has been a cornerstone of Tesla’s scaling since opening, and it was the crucial facility that ultimately enabled Tesla to ramp the Model 3 and Model Y. Even today, it serves as Tesla’s core hub for battery and drivetrain components for vehicles that are produced in the United States.
Giga Nevada is expected to support Tesla’s ambitious 2026 targets, including the launch of vehicles like the Tesla Semi and the Cybercab. Tesla will have a very busy 2026, and based on Giga Nevada’s activities so far, it appears that the facility will be equally busy as well.
News
Tesla Supercharger network delivers record 6.7 TWh in 2025
The network now exceeds 75,000 stalls globally, and it supports even non-Tesla vehicles across several key markets.
Tesla’s Supercharger Network had its biggest year ever in 2025, delivering a record 6.7 TWh of electricity to vehicles worldwide.
To celebrate its busy year, the official @TeslaCharging account shared an infographic showing the Supercharger Network’s growth from near-zero in 2012 to this year’s impressive milestone.
Record 6.7 TWh delivered in 2025
The bar chart shows steady Supercharger energy delivery increases since 2012. Based on the graphic, the Supercharger Network started small in the mid-2010s and accelerated sharply after 2019, when the Model 3 was going mainstream.
Each year from 2020 onward showed significantly more energy delivery, with 2025’s four quarters combining for the highest total yet at 6.7 TWh.
This energy powered millions of charging sessions across Tesla’s growing fleet of vehicles worldwide. The network now exceeds 75,000 stalls globally, and it supports even non-Tesla vehicles across several key markets. This makes the Supercharger Network loved not just by Tesla owners but EV drivers as a whole.
Resilience after Supercharger team changes
2025’s record energy delivery comes despite earlier 2024 layoffs on the Supercharger team, which sparked concerns about the system’s expansion pace. Max de Zegher, Tesla Director of Charging North America, also highlighted that “Outside China, Superchargers delivered more energy than all other fast chargers combined.”
Longtime Tesla owner and FSD tester Whole Mars Catalog noted the achievement as proof of continued momentum post-layoffs. At the time of the Supercharger team’s layoffs in 2024, numerous critics were claiming that Elon Musk was halting the network’s expansion altogether, and that the team only remained because the adults in the room convinced the juvenile CEO to relent.
Such a scenario, at least based on the graphic posted by the Tesla Charging team on X, seems highly implausible.
Starlink achieves major milestones in 2025 progress report
Tesla Giga Nevada celebrates production of 6 millionth drive unit
