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Benzinga
Benzinga
Technology
Anusuya Lahiri

Tesla Axed Former Autopilot Employee - Read Why

  • Tesla Inc (NASDAQ: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 (NASDAQ:GOOG) (NASDAQ: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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