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Tesla sued by female engineer over allegations of “pervasive harassment”

Published

8 years ago

February 28, 2017

Carolyn F

Tesla has been sued by a female engineer who alleges that a climate of “pervasive harassment” has impeded her career advancement. This lawsuit is one more in a series of recent accusations by females against Silicon Valley technology companies.

Update: Tesla issues an official response to the lawsuit

AJ Vandermeyden, 33, whose career at Tesla began in 2013 and continues today, has come forward at a time when nondisclosure statements prohibit most internal accounting of technology sector working conditions. Among Vandermeyden’s claims are a lower salary than males at comparable job assignments, promotions based on gender rather than qualifications, and a cultural climate where a female who raises concerns becomes the object of internal human resources scrutiny.

Her complaints include male co-workers engaging in sexual harassment that goes unaddressed by human resources. Vandermeyden insists she is dedicated to Tesla, which is part of her motivation for coming forward to advocate for fair treatment and reforms. The engineer owns a Tesla Model S and has a reservation for the upcoming Tesla Model 3. “Until somebody stands up, nothing is going to change,” she said in a recent interview to The Guardian about the discrimination lawsuit she filed last year. “I’m an advocate of Tesla. I really do believe they are doing great things. That said, I can’t turn a blind eye if there’s something fundamentally wrong going on.” She acknowledges that she may face serious risks for making the public aware of her lawsuit against Tesla.

AJ Vandermeyden sits in her Tesla outside her family’s home in San Carlos, California. Photograph: Ramin Talaie for the Guardian

Vandermeyden’s lawyer, Therese Lawless, states that many females in similar positions choose not to speak up. “It’s very difficult for women to come forward. They’re concerned that their career is going to be hindered or jeopardized.”

Vendermeyden moved up through the Tesla ranks to a manufacturing engineering position in the general assembly department, where she was paid less than the male engineers whose position and responsibilities she had assumed. This structure of strong relative percentages wages of males to females is typical throughout the Tesla organization, where its highest paid and most prestigious positions are held by males, with only two out of thirty vice-presidents self-describing as female. In Vandermeyden’s case, it was common for her to be the only female in meetings with forty to fifty males.

She outlined how this male-centric Tesla workplace can be hostile to women and dismissive when discussions around barriers to female workplace equality are raised. The response, she says, is often: “‘We’re focused on making cars. We don’t have time to deal with all this other stuff.’”

The complaint, which was filed in autumn, 2016, alleges that, although Vandermeyden designed a solution to compensate for inadequacies in vehicle quality testing which had been overlooked by supervisors and male engineers, she was not recognized for her problem-solving at the time of performance reviews. Instead, her lawsuit claims that Tesla retaliated against her for being a “whistleblower” when she raised concerns about these cars “sold in a defective state.” The result? Males were granted positions above her, according to the complaint, which her lawyers indicate is a pattern in which she and other female engineers were denied promotions even though they were “equally or more qualified” than the males. The lawsuit outlines how Tesla denied her overtime pay, rest breaks, and meal periods when she worked in sales, as well.

She also experienced “unwelcome and pervasive harassment by men on the factory floor including but not limited to inappropriate language, whistling, and cat calls,” the lawsuit says. Objections about sexual harassment, which she raised in 2015, went unheeded. Instead, Vandermeyden was told that, in order to advance her position, she must achieve what she felt was an unattainable factory performance standard, one that was not expected of male engineers. Despite the positive performance evaluations she received, Vandermeyden concluded that her best opportunities for career advancement and overcoming institutional barriers were to transfer to the purchasing department, her current position at Tesla, Inc.

Tesla is not alone in its alleged imbalanced gender culture. Tensions at Uber emerged last week when former engineer Susan Fowler wrote a blog post in which she chronicled a year of work at Uber. In that narrative, she described a chaotic internal culture, a human resources department that made excuses for sexual harassment, frequent episodes where victims were blamed, and a pattern of promotions based on insider preference rather than data-driven performance. Uber CEO Travis Kalanick this week addressed a group of 100+ Uber female engineers to listen to their concerns. Kalanick offered some concessions during his meeting with the female engineers. “So I empathize with you, but I can never fully understand, and I get that. I want to root out the injustice. I want to get at the people who are making this place a bad place. And you have my commitment to make that happen.”

Vandermeyden says, “It’s shocking in this day and age that this is still a fight we have to have.” Her statement acknowledges that any company with more than 30,000 employees will necessarily have a small number of individuals who make claims against the company. Yet, “that does not mean those claims have merit,” the statement adds. “Equal pay is something that is essentially in the back of your mind every single day. You have all these data points showing how you’ve exceeded some of the predecessors and improved on the system. It wears on you.”

Tesla CEO Elon Musk found himself embroiled in another employment controversy earlier this month in which an employee complained of unfair working conditions and discussed how other workers have approached the UAW about possible unionization. Musk used Twitter to wonder aloud whether that complainant was fact or fake news, a Tesla employee or a UAW shill.

Vandermeyden admits she wonders about her future at Tesla. “Half the time when I walk into work, I wonder if my badge is going to work.”

News

Florida man charged after trying to hit Tesla protestors with car

Tesla protestors were nearly struck with the man’s car, though authorities say no one was injured.

Published

9 hours ago

March 24, 2025

Zachary Visconti

Credit: Palm Beach Daily News

A man in Florida has been charged with assault after attempting to drive into protestors outside of a Tesla store over the weekend, coming as the latest in ongoing protests and vandalism against CEO Elon Musk.

On Saturday, 44-year-old Andrew Tutil attempted to drive into protestors with his Nissan Pathfinder at the West Palm Beach Tesla store, although no one was injured, according to a report from Palm Beach Daily News. The store had around 150 protestors outside around 1:00 p.m., and Tutil reportedly drove slowly into the crowd before parking on the sidewalk and getting out.

“He drove into a crowd of senior citizens,” said Mark Offerman. “Everybody was able to move out, but two older women were really almost clipped. We immediately called the cops.”

After parking on the sidewalk where protestors had to jump out of the way, Tutil, a retired U.S. Army Captain, civil engineer, and supporter of Donald Trump, claimed that he was an employee of the Tesla store and that his brakes and electronics had malfunctioned, according to Offerman.

Palm Beach County records show that Tutil was later arrested and charged with first-degree felony aggravated assault with a deadly weapon without intent after police questioned Tutil and surrounding witnesses and reviewed photos and video footage.

The news comes as a wave of protests, acts of vandalism, and some violent encounters such as this one have been increasingly targeting Tesla stores in recent weeks against Musk and the Trump administration. Additionally, Musk’s work with Trump’s newly created “government efficiency” division has been a central theme in protests at Tesla stores, as federal workers have expressed criticism for the administration’s approach to “eliminating fraud and waste.”

🚨 President Trump on Tesla protests and vandalism:
pic.twitter.com/xZIU3Mr2VX
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) March 11, 2025

The widespread protests began in January, after Musk performed what many said looked like a Nazi salute at Trump’s inauguration ceremony, and after he spoke at a campaign event for the far-right German party Alternative for Germany (AfD). During the rally, Musk said that there was “too much of a focus on past guilt and we need to move beyond that,” which many claimed was in reference to Nazi Germany.

The so-called “Tesla Takedown” movement launched over the past several weeks is targeting around 500 separate protests across 277 stores around the U.S. The Palm Beach protest on Saturday was just one of a handful in Florida alone, including those in Gainesville, Jacksonville, Merrit Island, and Sarasota, to name a few.

One protestor at a Tesla store in Colorado earlier this month told Teslarati that she was protesting Musk because she was “highly concerned that our Constitution is being ignored,” adding that “it’s dangerous to have power rest in a handful of ultra-wealthy people.”

Others at the event highlighted Musk and Trump’s attacks on queer, trans, and non-binary people, as well as the administration’s recent controversies with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and claims that the President is aligning with Russia President Vladimir Putin, as a few of the major reasons they were protesting at the Loveland Tesla store.

Musk has mostly deflected and made light of claims of his alignment with Nazis, while the public has been polarized on defending or condemning these and other actions.

The Tesla CEO was defended by Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who said he was being “falsely smeared” immediately following the inauguration event. While the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) also went on to defend the action as an “awkward gesture,” the group has since condemned some of Musk’s more recent posts making light of genocide.

Earlier this month, Musk reposted then deleted a screenshot shared by X user Rothmus claiming that “Stalin, Mao and Hitler didn’t murder millions of people,” but that “their public sector workers did.”

“It is deeply disturbing and irresponsible for someone with a large public platform to elevate the kind of rhetoric that serves to undermine the seriousness of these issues,” the ADL wrote in a response on X.

Credit: Rothmus/Alice Smith (via Elon Musk repost on X)

In addition to what have largely appeared to be peaceful protests at Tesla stores, a number of acts of vandalism, including graffiti, arson, and some even more violent assaults involving weapons, have been targeting the automaker’s locations around the world.

Multiple people were taken into custody following repeated arson and graffiti at a Tesla store in Colorado within the past few weeks, while multiple Tesla vehicles have been set on fire at stores, and one Tesla store has been shot at. Owners of Tesla’s vehicles have also been targeted in public, with some being captured on Sentry Mode keying or tagging the vehicles.

The Trump administration has also started labeling such attacks against Tesla as “domestic terrorism,” and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has started investigating several of the events, including one involving two Cybertrucks that were set on fire in Seattle and another at a store in Oregon that was shot at twice in a few weeks.

Tesla’s Giga Berlin director responds to anti-Musk criticism

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Tesla Megapack project in NSW reaches $260M financial close

The latest Tesla Megapack project to be announced in Australia, with a $260 million financial backing.

Published

13 hours ago

March 24, 2025

Zachary Visconti

Credit: Equis Australia

Partners involved in yet another Tesla Megapack project in Australia have reached a financial close, as the upcoming site also begins construction.

On Monday, renewables provider Equis Australia announced closing on the $260 million deal for 138 two-hour Megapack units in Tamworth, New South Wales (NSW), set to back a 250MW/500MWh battery energy storage system (BESS). Dubbed the “Calala” BESS, Equis says the project will store enough power to supply electricity for as many as 115,000 homes during peak usage.

The Calala project is expected to become fully operational by 2027, and it will be constructed in two independent project phases, bringing 100MW and an additional 150MW online in sequence. Located about 5.8 kilometers (~3.6 miles) to the southeast of the Tamworth town centre, the Calala battery will be connected to the NSW grid using an underground cable leading to Tamworth’s 330kV Substation.

172 Megapacks and over a million solar panels 🤯 https://t.co/c5Ym3joxYw
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) March 17, 2025

READ MORE ON TESLA MEGAPACKS: Tesla and Arevon team up on 172-Megapack solar plus project

The BESS is also expected to create around 170 new roles during construction, and as many as seven ongoing positions upon launching operations. The first 100MW portion of the Calala project will be devoted to supplying a partnership with provider Smartest Energy, while Tesla’s Autobidder real-time trading and control platform will be used to manage and oversee energy transactions to make the 150MW project a merchant BESS.

The financial deal includes the sale of $260 million in non-recourse debt financing package from lenders Westpac, Societe Generale, and the Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation. The agreement will also include a Voluntary Planning Agreement (VPA) for the Calala project to contribute a total of $2 million to the Tamworth Regional Council over time.

Equis Australia also has several other BESS projects, primarily located near its headquarters in Melbourne, along with those scattered around the Sydney and Brisbane areas. The company’s Australia branch says it has 16 BESS projects in its portfolio, along with 11 onshore wind projects, together which total 9.6GW of renewable energy capacity.

The renewable provider is also nearing completion of a massive 600MW/1,600MWh BESS outside of Melbourne sporting 444 Tesla Megapack units, which is expected to become operational later this year.

Currently, Tesla produces most of its Megapacks in Lathrop, California, though the company recently shipped its first units from a new Megafactory in Shanghai, China to Australia. The manufacturer has also begun building a third Megafactory in Waller County, Texas, just a couple of hours east of Tesla’s Gigafactory Texas.

Tesla has joined the Australian Energy Council

News

Tesla Model Y inventory is going fast, selling out in many U.S. states

Published

13 hours ago

March 24, 2025

Joey Klender

(Credit: Tesla)

Tesla Model Y inventory is apparently moving pretty quickly as the legacy version of the best-selling car in the world is now sold out in many U.S. states.

With the introduction of the new Tesla Model Y, the legacy version of the vehicle is now no longer being produced. The units that are available are the final ones that Tesla will produce as it is sunsetting the old look of the all-electric crossover.

As production has stopped on this specific version of the Model Y, Tesla is offering some great deals on the vehicle…that is, if it is still available for delivery in your area.

Since the new Model Y has started production and deliveries, 29 U.S. states have now sold out of the old vehicle’s look:

NEWS: New Tesla Model Y inventory is now completely sold out in Texas, Michigan, Ohio, Illinois, Georgia, Utah, Virginia, Alabama, South Carolina, North Carolina, Tennessee, Mississippi, Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, Kentucky, Oklahoma, Indianapolis, Iowa, Nebraska, Hawaii,… pic.twitter.com/hTZgDexgmE
— Sawyer Merritt (@SawyerMerritt) March 23, 2025
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Tesla is offering over $5,000 off of some of these Model Ys in an effort to move inventory and make room for the new Model Y at its showrooms across the country.

For what it is worth, the legacy Model Y is still a fantastic vehicle, and picking it up through inventory is still a great idea, considering it holds a lot of great tech and is now being offered at a great price.

In the United States, Tesla is still only offering the new Launch Series version of the Model Y, which comes with the company’s Full Self-Driving suite, some exclusive badging, and premium interior, among other things.

Until those lower-cost trims arrive, sales figures for the new Model Y will be restricted to the Launch Series trim. We likely won’t see a launch of Rear-Wheel-Drive or All-Wheel-Drive configurations of the new Model Y until the inventory of the previous version starts to dwindle down a tad more.

Launching those trims now would cannibalize the legacy Model Y vehicles, as most consumers would rather have the new vehicle with the upgrades than the older version — even if it means a substantially lower price.