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☆ Tesla was ordered to pay $3.2 million in damages to a former employee in a racial discrimination case
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-04 | by ( Katherine Tangalakis-Lippert | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Former Tesla employee Owen Diaz was awarded $3.2 million in damages after suing the company. The verdict stems from a 2017 complaint that he faced racist abuse and Tesla failed to prevent it. Diaz had previously refused a $15 million award in the case and filed for this new trial. In 2021, Tesla was ordered to pay $137 million in damages over the suit, but the amount was slashed to $15 million by a judge who argued the previous jury had awarded an "unconstitutionally large" sum. In 2022, Owens rejected the $15 million award, instead opting for a new trial — this one, where he was ultimately awarded a lower amount.

A judge agreed with that jury that Tesla was liable but said the award was excessive. He ordered a new trial on damages after Diaz declined the reduced $15 million award. But it could be cut even further because punitive damages are typically capped at no more than nine times the amount of damages for emotional distress and other injuries, Saba said. The punitive damages awarded by the jury on Monday were nearly 20 times the damages for emotional distress. The first jury in 2021 awarded Diaz $7 million in damages for emotional distress and a staggering $130 million in punitive damages.

The trial involved Owen Diaz, a former elevator operator at the Fremont plant who said he was subjected to harassment including racial slurs and racist caricatures. Diaz won a $137 million verdict at a previous trial in 2021, but a federal judge lowered the jury's award to $15 million while agreeing that Tesla was liable. What stands out is the consistency of the claims alleging rampant harassment of Black workers at Tesla's plant in Fremont. Tesla is also fighting a spate of sexual harassment lawsuits by female workers at the Fremont plant and another factory near Los Angeles. In another pending case, a former production manager claims he was fired for raising concerns about safety issues at the Fremont plant and a factory in Nevada.

☆ Tesla Ordered to Pay More Than $3 Million in Racial Harassment Case
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-03 | by ( Rebecca Elliott | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

An aerial view of a Tesla factory in Fremont, Calif.SAN FRANCISCO— Tesla Inc. secured a financial reprieve when a jury ordered the company to pay more than $3 million to a Black former worker in a racial harassment case, a fraction of the payout the company initially owed. It was the second time in as many years that the case was presented to a federal jury here.

He opted for a new trial on damages after a judge agreed with that jury that Tesla was liable but significantly reduced the award to $15 million. Tesla and lawyers for Diaz did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the verdict. The first jury in 2021 awarded Diaz $7 million in damages for emotional distress and a staggering $130 million in punitive damages. On Friday, Orrick denied a motion by Diaz's lawyers for a mistrial. Orrick said those questions were related to other incidents discussed in the first trial, and that Diaz's lawyers had not shown that the questioning prejudiced the jury.

☆ Jury orders Tesla to pay more than $3 million to Black ex-worker who endured racist abuse
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-03 | by ( Lora Kolodny | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Diaz, a Black man, was hired as a contract worker at Tesla in 2015 through a staffing agency. Diaz and Tesla sought a retrial to decide damages after Judge William H. Orrick reduced the amount to $15 million. "No Black man in 2015 should ever be subjected," Alexander said, "to this plantation mentality workplace." The plaintiffs asked the jury to consider punitive damages around $150 million for Tesla, and to award Diaz $6.3 million in past non-economic damages, and $2 million in future non-economic damages. As CNBC has previously reported, where it is legal to do so, Tesla has compelled employees to agree to mandatory arbitration.

☆ Elon Musk broke the law with a tweet about Tesla stock options, court rules
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-01 | by ( Ryan Hogg | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Elon Musk broke labor law with a 2018 tweet about Tesla employees' stock options, a court ruled. The US 5th Circuit Court of Appeals said Musk threatened staff in the wake of a unionization drive. But why pay union dues & give up stock options for nothing? Tesla argued that because Musk said there was nothing stopping Tesla workers joining a union, it couldn't be regarded as a threat. "Because stock options are part of Tesla's employees' compensation, and nothing in the tweet suggested that Tesla would be forced to end stock options or that the UAW would be the cause of giving up stock options, substantial evidence supports the NLRB's conclusion that the tweet is as an implied threat to end stock options as retaliation for unionization," the panel wrote in its conclusion.

Companies Tesla Inc FollowMarch 31 (Reuters) - A U.S. appeals court on Friday said Tesla Inc (TSLA.O) CEO Elon Musk violated federal labor law by tweeting that employees of the electric vehicle maker would lose stock options if they joined a union. Amid an organizing campaign at Tesla's Fremont, California, plant by the United Auto Workers union, Musk tweeted: "Nothing stopping Tesla team at our car plant from voting union ... But why pay union dues & give up stock options for nothing?" In Friday's case, Tesla had argued that the tweet about unionizing was not a threat and merely reflected the fact that union workers at other auto companies did not receive stock options. The labor board in a separate case last year said Tesla violated labor law by prohibiting workers at the Fremont plant from wearing shirts supporting the union campaign.

In the new lawsuit, Goode claims that over the course of 2022 the white regional manager made a series of offensive comments. Goode claims that last October the manager blocked him from interviewing for a promotion that ultimately went to a white worker. Tesla company policy does not set a deadline for the reports, Goode claims. The lawsuit, which alleges violations of California and federal laws banning workplace race discrimination and retaliation, seeks damages for lost wages and benefits and emotional distress and punitive damages. Tesla has denied wrongdoing in those cases and has said the lawsuit by the California Civil Rights Department was politically motivated.

“It made me feel less than a man (and) it made me question my worth,” Diaz said. Diaz rejected the lower payout and opted for a new trial on damages before a different jury. Tesla has maintained that it does not tolerate workplace harassment and takes discrimination complaints seriously. The lawyer testified that while Tesla had adopted adequate anti-bias policies, the company failed to properly investigate and respond to complaints from Diaz and other Black workers. Reporting by Daniel Wiessner in Albany, New York Editing by Matthew LewisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

The five-day trial on damages, in federal court in San Francisco, comes after a jury in 2021 found Tesla liable for discrimination and ordered the company to pay Diaz $137 million. Diaz rejected the lower payout and opted for a new trial on damages before a different jury. Tesla has maintained that it does not tolerate workplace harassment and takes discrimination complaints seriously. The lawyer testified that while Tesla had adopted adequate anti-bias policies, the company failed to properly investigate and respond to complaints from Diaz and other Black workers. Reporting by Daniel Wiessner in Albany, New York Editing by Matthew LewisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ The second day of Tesla's racial bias trial included testimony from a former worker who said he found feces on a factory cart
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-29 | by ( Grace Kay | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

It was part of a retrial for an ex-contractor who filed a racial discrimination lawsuit against Tesla. Wheeler was one of a handful of former Tesla workers that testified on Tuesday regarding their experience as Black workers at Tesla's Fremont factory. Wheeler said that the incident occurred one evening during his night shift at the factory after he took a 30-minute break. Wheeler had testified about the alleged incident in the initial trial in 2021. His complaints echo similar lawsuits from other Tesla factory workers.

☆ This California city is the No. 1 happiest place to live in the U.S.—and it's not LA, San Diego or San Francisco
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-28 | by ( Isabel Engel | In Isabel--Engel | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Cities across the United States vary greatly in their environment, income, citizens' overall well-being and community. For 2023, California dominated the list of the happiest cities in America, while Fremont, California, topped the list for the second year in a row. That's according to a recent WalletHub study, which analyzed happiness-related data metrics to determine which American cities are home to the happiest residents. "The more equality there is among the residents, the happier the residents tend to be." Here are the 10 happiest cities in the U.S.:

Diaz's lawyers rejected the lower payout and opted for a new trial on damages. Alex Spiro, a lawyer for Tesla, told the jury that any racist conduct at the plant was indefensible. As at the last trial, Diaz and several employees and managers at the Fremont plant are expected to testify. U.S. District Judge William Orrick last year reduced the compensatory damages to $1.5 million and the punitive damages to $13.5 million. The U.S. Supreme Court has said punitive damages typically should be no more than 10 times compensatory damages.

Last year, a judge slashed the $137 million verdict that the jury awarded in 2021 to plaintiff Owen Diaz, one of the largest ever in a U.S. workplace discrimination case. Diaz's lawyers rejected the lower payout and opted for a new trial on damages. After the 2021 trial, U.S. District Judge William Orrick agreed with a jury that Tesla was liable for race discrimination but cut the verdict to $15 million. As at the last trial, Diaz and several employees and managers at the Fremont, California plant are expected to testify. Orrick last year reduced the compensatory damages to $1.5 million and the punitive damages to $13.5 million.

[1/2] The Tesla factory is seen in Fremont, California, U.S. June 22, 2018. California state judges typically issue tentative rulings ahead of hearings, but can make changes to those rulings when issuing final decisions. If the agency did not adequately probe certain claims against Tesla before suing, the electric carmaker could seek to have them removed from the case. The agency claims that Tesla's Fremont, California, plant is a racially segregated workplace where Black employees have been harassed and discriminated against in job assignments, discipline and pay. “You don’t get to inquire into the most minute details,” Grillo said.

Companies Tesla Inc FollowMarch 14 (Reuters) - A California civil rights agency suing Tesla Inc (TSLA.O) over alleged widespread race discrimination at its flagship assembly plant must detail the investigation it conducted prior to filing the lawsuit, a judge has ruled. The tentative ruling on Monday by California Superior Court Judge Evelio Grillo in Oakland could give Tesla an opportunity to narrow the lawsuit filed last year by the state Civil Rights Department. If the agency did not probe certain claims against Tesla before suing, the electric carmaker could seek to have them removed from the case. The Civil Rights Department and a Tesla representative did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Several other lawsuits are pending in California courts that accuse Tesla of tolerating discrimination and sexual harassment at its factories.

☆ Exclusive: Tesla taps Asian partners to address 4680 battery concerns
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

Details about Tesla's Cybertruck battery strategy, including use of 4680 cells and consideration of other options, have not been reported. The Tesla-designed 4680 cell - so named for its external dimensions (46mm diameter, 80mm length) - is crucial to future production plans. Last year, LG said it planned to open a new 4680 production line at its Ochang plant in Korea in the second half of 2023. Tesla also has been installing first-generation 4680 cells with "wet" cathodes in so-called structural packs in Texas-built Model Ys. Tesla plans to use a cathode with more than 90% nickel in the next generation of 4680 cells, two sources said.

☆ Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang's bet big on A.I. is paying off as his core technology powers ChatGPT
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-07 | by ( Katie Tarasov | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

As the engine behind large language models (LLMs) like ChatGPT, Nvidia is finally reaping rewards for its early investment in AI. Nvidia counts on China for about one-quarter of its revenue, including sales of its popular AI chip, the A100. Nvidia Founder and CEO Jensen Huang shows CNBC's Katie Tarasov a Hopper H100 SXM module in Santa Clara, CA, on February 9, 2023. Nvidia founders Curtis Priem, Jensen Huang and Chris Malachowsky pose at the company's Santa Clara, California, headquarters in 2020. "We invented this new way of doing computer graphics, ray tracing, basically simulating the pathways of light and simulate everything with generative AI.

☆ Tesla recalls almost 3,500 Model Y cars for loose bolts
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-04 | by ( Ramishah Maruf | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

New York CNN —Tesla is recalling 3,470 2022-2023 Model Y cars due to bolts in the second-row seat back frames not being secured properly. On Model Y vehicles, the second-row driver- and passenger-side seat back frames are secured with four bolts per seat back. Tesla found five warranty claims regarding the bolts since last December, but is not aware of any injuries or deaths due to it. Tesla will inspect the bolts and tighten them if necessary for free of charge, and owner notification letters will be mailed. Tesla will attempt to fix the feature, which costs $15,000, through an over-the-air software update, the notice added.

☆ Top auto analyst Jonas stays bullish Tesla, says investor day showed competition can't keep up
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-02 | by ( Sarah Min | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Morgan Stanley's Adam Jonas remains bullish on Tesla even as shares drop following the electric vehicle maker's latest investor day. Tesla shares dropped more than 5% in Thursday premarket trading after the electric car maker's investor day, which was long on vision but short on specifics on any new Tesla products. Regardless, Jonas reiterated an overweight rating on Tesla, saying the Elon Musk-led company will fend off competitors as a pricing war heats up in the electric vehicle sector. He said the vertical integration in Tesla's Austin facility allows Tesla to "iterate far faster and with less waste" than its peers. Tesla shares surged 64% in 2023, after falling 65% last year.

☆ 'Pretty bearish on Tesla': Market pro says price cuts will hit the EV giant's share price
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-28 | by ( Ganesh Rao | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Tesla shares are unlikely to make a comeback over the medium term partly due to the price cuts the electric automaker announced late last year, according to tech investor Mark Hawtin. "I'm pretty bearish on Tesla," said Hawtin, investment director at Zurich-based GAM Investments. This, in turn, could lead to lower demand for Tesla's products, impacting margins and profitability, according to Hawtin. "I think we will see lower demand at a time when they're ramping up factories around the world," he added. According to Jonas, the stock could jump on any new plans from the automaker for the "mass adoption of EVs at far lower price points" on its Mar.

☆ How Elon Musk Ruined Tesla, Let Other Car Companies Catch up on EVs
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-26 | by ( Nora Naughton | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +12 min

"I feel stupid driving around with my brand-new Tesla Model Y," Mark told me. Tesla spent the past two decades defying expectations and disrupting the automotive industry, but in 2023 the once revolutionary car company did the seemingly unthinkable: It turned fanboys against it. But after years of rocketing ahead of legacy car companies' tech, the futuristic guts of Tesla's vehicles have started to go stale. Companies like Ford and Audi are changing their sales strategies to model Tesla's innovative direct-sales style. These companies have something Musk doesn't: nationwide networks of brick-and-mortar locations where customers can have their vehicles serviced and repaired.

☆ Elon Musk calls US media and schools 'racist against whites & Asians'
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-26 | by ( Lora Kolodny | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Tesla Chief Executive Office Elon Musk speaks at his company's factory in Fremont, California. In the video, Adams discussed a poll conducted by right-leaning Rasmussen Reports that said 26% of Black respondents disagreed with the statement "It's OK to be white." In his video, Adams called Black people who rejected that phrase as a "hate group." He then added, "For a *very* long time, US media was racist against non-white people, now they're racist against whites & Asians. Musk claimed that the media coverage is "Very disproportionate to promote a false narrative."

Musk on Wednesday announced the news with the state's governor, Gavin Newsom, and the Tesla CEO later told CNBC that putting the engineering hub in California means it is "effectively a headquarters of Tesla." Democratic-controlled California, the most populous U.S. state, has more electric vehicles than any other and provided Tesla with tax incentives as it grew. "Given that the Bay Area in California is home to many leading tech companies, it makes sense for Tesla’s engineering headquarters to be located there as a way to attract top talent," said Seth Goldstein, an analyst at Morningstar. The new Tesla engineering headquarters will be in a former Hewlett Packard building in Palo Alto. "This is a poetic transition from the company that founded Silicon Valley to Tesla," Musk said.

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