Tesla Axed Former Autopilot Employee - Read Why

  • Tesla Inc TSLA terminated a former Autopilot employee who shared video reviews of the company's Full Self Driving Beta system, CNBC reports.
  • John Bernal had shared candid video reviews on his Alphabet Inc GOOG GOOGL YouTube channel, AI Addict, showing how the company's FSD Beta system worked in different locations around Silicon Valley.
  • Before the dismissal in Early February, managers verbally told him he "broke Tesla policy" and that his YouTube channel was a "conflict of interest."
  • Also Read: Tesla's Autopilot and FSD Capabilities Face Ire of Lawmakers Again
  • Tesla also cut off his access to the FSD Beta system in the vehicle he owns, a 2021 Tesla Model 3, despite having no safety "strikes" in the software. 
  • Bernal said he never disclosed anything in his videos that Tesla had not released to the public. However, his videos sometimes showed problems with Tesla's FSD Beta system.
  • Previously, a manager from his Autopilot team deterred him from posting any negative or critical content in the future that involved FSD Beta.
  • He still has FSD, Tesla's premium driver assistance software.
  • Bernal started working for Tesla as a data annotation specialist in August 2020, graduating as an advanced driver assistance systems test operator.
  • Price Action: TSLA shares traded higher by 1.85% at $816.75 in the premarket on the last check Wednesday.
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