Tesla wrote new confidentiality agreements after leaks: Report

Tesla CEO Elon Musk.Max Whittaker/Getty Images

• Tesla drafted new confidentiality agreements after the contents of internal emails from CEO Elon Musk to employees were included in 2016 articles by Bloomberg and CNN, Bloomberg reports.

• Tesla legal vice president Jonathan Chang reportedly testified on Wednesday in a National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) hearing that the automaker’s general counsel told him to write new confidentiality agreement for employees in order to “have them renew their vows.”

• Tesla did not immediately respond to Business Insider’s request for comment.

Tesla drafted new confidentiality agreements after the contents of internal emails from CEO Elon Musk to employees were included in 2016 articles by Bloomberg and CNN, Bloomberg reports.

According to the publication, Tesla legal vice president Jonathan Chang testified on Wednesday in a National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) hearing that the automaker’s general counsel told him to write new confidentiality agreement for employees in order to “have them renew their vows.”

Tesla did not immediately respond to Business Insider’s request for comment.

The ongoing NLRB hearing concerns allegations from a regional director of the agency that Tesla’s confidentiality policy violates its workers’ rights, and that it has retaliated against employees who support a union and interfered with their efforts to advocate for a union.

Tesla has denied all of those claims, Bloomberg reports.

Chang reportedly said leaks of internal information to the media can result in customers holding off on purchases to wait for new features, disrupt the company’s ability to announce new features, and create “significant SEC concerns” about the release of company information. But, Chang reportedly said, Tesla is rarely able to determine which employees are responsible for the leaks.

Tesla filed a lawsuit against former employee Martin Tripp in June, alleging that he hacked confidential company information and gave it to parties outside the company. Tripp filed a countersuit in August denying Tesla’s allegations and accusing the company of defamation. Tripp later published on Twitter photos that he claimed supported the allegations he has made.

Have a Tesla news tip? Contact this reporter at [email protected].

Get the latest Tesla stock price here.