Tesla Engineer Quits After 8 Years, Blames Elon Musk's 'Leadership'

A Tesla engineer in charge of the company's European energy trading algorithms said he quit the company because of what he calls CEO Elon Musk's "seriously compromised" leadership.

In a Thursday post on LinkedIn, Giorgio Balestrieri, who worked for Tesla's Autobidder platform, said he was leaving the company after 8 years because "I think Elon has dealt huge damage to Tesla's mission (and to the health of democratic institutions in several countries)." 

"This is not just about politics: it's about lying to the public, manipulating public discourse, targeting minorities and supporting climate change deniers and political forces aligned with the oil and gas industry," Balestrieri said. 

Tesla did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Musk spent $300 million to help US President Donald Trump get re-elected last year, and for a brief stint the billionaire was one of the president's closest allies. But the pair fell out in public, and damage was done to Musk's business interests. In July, Tesla cited the loss of electric vehicle subsidies and increased import tariffs - both Trump policies - as two headwinds for its car-making and energy businesses.

In his LinkedIn post, Balestrieri referenced the Trump administration's attacks on wind and solar energy in its efforts to prop up fossil fuels.

"It's fairly indisputable that the current US administration is slowing down the energy transition. Unfortunately, speed is critical if we are to avert the worst consequences of climate change."

The Autobidder technology is used extensively across Europe in its burgeoning energy storage sector. Most recently, Harmony Energy Ltd used it in France's largest battery which came online last month. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)