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Fact check: As an actual engineer, Elon was well known in the space for being a piece of shit well before any of this. He treats all employees like shit, And ignores basic safety procedures in facilities for a “cool look” leading to severe injuries of many of his workers. Fun fact, everyone that originally worked for tesla when it was a startup, and i mean even hire-ups, have all left because of Elon musk’s treatment. I knew this in college over 8 years ago.

Checked on March 19, 2025

1. Summary of the results

The original statement's core allegations about Elon Musk's treatment of employees and workplace safety issues are largely supported by multiple sources, though with more nuance and complexity than presented:

  • Tesla facilities have documented serious safety violations, with three times more OSHA violations than other car manufacturers [1]
  • Workers have experienced extreme working conditions, including sleeping on factory floors and fainting from dehydration [1]
  • Widespread racial and sexual harassment has been documented through multiple legal complaints and OSHA investigations [2]
  • The claim about original Tesla employees leaving is partially validated - particularly regarding co-founders Martin Eberhard and Marc Tarpenning, who were pushed out through "strong-arm tactics" [3]

2. Missing context/alternative viewpoints

Several important contextual elements were omitted from the original statement:

  • Despite workplace issues, 98% of employees remained proud of Tesla's broader mission, and 65% trusted Musk's leadership in a 2018 survey [4]
  • Tesla has made efforts to improve workplace safety by hiring Laurie Shelby in 2017, resulting in measurable improvements in their Total Recordable Incidence Rate [5]
  • Musk's role is more accurately described as an investor and business strategist rather than an engineer, with many Tesla innovations actually developed by other talented engineers and scientists [6]
  • The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted specific issues, with Tesla requiring work during state-mandated shutdowns and allegedly threatening workers who raised concerns [5]

3. Potential misinformation/bias in the original statement

The original statement contains several oversimplifications and potential biases:

  • The blanket characterization of Musk as "a piece of shit" oversimplifies a complex leadership dynamic where employee opinions are actually mixed [4]
  • The statement implies Musk is primarily an engineer, when sources indicate he's more of a business strategist and investor [6]
  • While workplace safety issues are real, the statement doesn't acknowledge Tesla's efforts to improve conditions through hiring dedicated safety personnel [5]
  • The claim about "all" original employees leaving is an overstatement, as survey data shows significant employee loyalty to the company's mission despite leadership concerns [4]

It's worth noting that various stakeholders have different interests in this narrative:

  • Labor rights advocates and former employees benefit from highlighting workplace issues
  • Tesla shareholders and management benefit from emphasizing improvement efforts and employee satisfaction
  • Competitors benefit from amplifying negative stories about Tesla's workplace culture
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