Tesla's alleged saboteur sued by carmaker over data theft

A Tesla logo is seen in Los Angeles, California U.S. January 12, 2018. REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson

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.