Tesla's Former Security Ops Manager Provides Whistleblower Info to SEC

Tesla’s former head of the Global Security Operations Center & Investigations, Sean Gouthro, has reportedly filed a whistleblower submission with the SEC in relation to his time at Tesla, including new details about Musk’s infamous “funding secured” tweet.

According to a recent press release from the whistleblower law firm Meissner Associates, Tesla’s former head of the Global Security Operations Center & Investigations, Sean Gouthro, has filed a whistleblower submission with the SEC. Gouthro reportedly authorized Meissner to announce his submission in an effort to encourage other Tesla whistleblowers to come forward.

The press release from Meissner Associates notes:

Mr. Gouthro was involved in many internal Tesla investigations while overseeing Tesla’s global security operations, including Tesla’s post-firing interactions with former Tesla employee Martin Tripp referred to in previously released Tripp related police reports. Mr. Tripp previously submitted a whistleblower tip to the SEC regarding Tesla and is currently a party to litigation with Tesla pending in Federal Court, Nevada.

Martin Tripp is a former Tesla technician and whistleblower who has previously claimed that Tesla CEO Elon Musk was “waging war” on him. Breitbart News reported in June of 2018:

In an interview with the Washington Post, Tripp denied claims that he hacked Tesla computers saying: “I’m not that smart, I don’t know how to code. I tried to teach myself to code and I don’t have the patience.” He also claimed that Tesla’s assertion that he was disgruntled after being passed over for a promotion, Tripp said: “That’s their generic excuse, I could literally care less.”

Tripp claimed that he leaked Tesla information to a reporter for Business Insider as he felt his concerns were being ignored at the company: “I kept bringing this up to management, supervisors, anyone who would listen,” he said. “Everyone just said, ‘Yeah, whatever.’” He continued, “When it’s world impactful, when you’re lying to the world and investors about the cars you’re producing and how sustainable you are, when you’re saying one thing and doing another, the righteous thing is for the world to know.”

A Tesla spokesperson recently told CNBC that the company received a threat from an alleged “friend of Mr. Tripp” who claimed that he would come to the Gigafactory battery plant in Nevada and “shoot the place up.” Police investigated the call and found that there was “no credible threat,” Tripp says that he “never made a threat,” and said that Tesla’s claims are “insane.”

Gouthro’s information reportedly relates to Elon Musk’s tweet about taking Tesla private at a stock price of $420; a tweet which cost a total of $40 million in fines from the SEC. Gouthro alleges that the tweet which was initially seen as an offhand statement by Musk was actually discussed internally at Tesla for days leading up to it’s posting. Gouthro alleges that many at Tesla were suspicious fo the legitimacy of the tweet before it was posted.

Meissner says in an official statement:

Slowly but surely we are moving up the ladder within Tesla. This new submission not only corroborates our prior SEC submissions, but provides new information to the SEC and others from a more senior employee within Tesla’s operations with regard to potentially significant legal issues. I fully expect other employees to also come forward and seek our assistance in filing such tips, either privately and confidentially as most do, or publically as Mr. Gouthro and Mr. Hansen have.

Only weeks after announcing a new $35,000 Model 3 vehicle and the move to an online-only shopping experience, this week Tesla announced a three percent price increase for certain vehicles and plans to keep some brick and mortar stores open. Breitbart News reported on this here.