On December 16, whistleblower advocacy organizations National Whistleblower Center (NWC) and Government Accountability Project (GAP) held a live discussion on Twitter about recent tweets Elon Musk made mocking whistleblowers. During the event, Tesla whistleblower Cristina Balan joined the conversation and spoke to her experiences of whistleblower retaliation at the company.
“Blow the whistle on Tesla!” CEO Musk urged his Twitter followers on November 30, linking to a “Cyberwhistle” product. He followed up with a second tweet stating: “Don’t waste your money on that silly Apple Cloth, buy our whistle instead!”
A few days later, news broke that the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is investigating a Tesla whistleblower’s allegations of misconduct at the company. According to previous WNN reporting, whistleblower Steven Henkes, a former field quality manager at Tesla, filed his disclosure to the SEC in 2019 and “alleges that Tesla failed to properly disclose to shareholders and the public fire risks associated with solar panel system defects.” Henkes also alleges that Tesla “did not warn consumers of defective electrical connectors that could lead to fires.”
Whistleblower advocates argue that Musk’s mocking of whistleblowers sends a chilling message to would-be whistleblowers. In the live discussion, NWC Executive Director Siri Nelson spoke with GAP Legal Director Tom Devine about how Musk’s actions send a strong anti-whistleblower message. Nelson and Devine...
By Dean Aubrey Caratiquet As part of an intensified campaign against the spread of falsehoods that continue to undermine the integrity of the government and pose a threat to national security, PCO...