Tesla’s Alleged Saboteur Sued by Carmaker Over Data Theft

Electric carmaker Tesla Inc. sued a former employee for hacking the company’s confidential and trade secret information, transferring several gigabytes to outside entities along with illicit photos of the production line.

Tesla accused a former technician at the Nevada Gigafactory of launching a sabotage campaign after being denied a promotion. Martin Tripp wrote a computer program to access proprietary information, sending material to three unidentified entities and attempting to cover his electronic tracks, the company said in the complaint.

Tripp’s actions were “willful and malicious” and “done with the deliberate intent to injure Tesla’s business,” the company’s lawyers said in ...