Grünheide: Tesla places job ad for head of security

Elon Musk is currently looking for an intelligence investigator for his Gigafactory in Grünheide near Berlin. Now there is concern that potential problems at Tesla’s factory could be kept under wraps in the future.

No secret job posting

There are probably few companies that have an intelligence investigator. At least, very few openly peddle it. This is understandable. After all, should such an investigator become active, it would probably be advantageous if no one knew about it. This makes it all the more surprising that Tesla has made its search for a suitable employee in this field publicly visible on its own website. According to the job posting, the so-called “Security Intelligence Investigator” is supposed to take care of protecting intellectual property, trade secrets and confidential information around Tesla. So will employees at Europe’s only factory of the U.S. carmaker have to fear being spied on at work from now on?

At least the regional press in the form of the Märkische Oderzeitung (MOZ) has this well-founded fear. Apparently, Elon Musk is afraid that there could be whistleblowers among his employees. These fears are probably not entirely unfounded. After all, other abuses have already come to light in the past. In April 2022, for example, there was water contamination due to leaked paint. The requirements that the automaker places on the potential new hire sound quite challenging. For example, he or she should have “several years of experience as an investigator with international/national law enforcement agencies or intelligence services and/or equivalent time in the area of corporate security.”

• Also interesting: Tesla in Grünheide: Go-ahead given, but problems with water supply

Builds Tesla an information wall?

For many employees in Grünheide, the start at Tesla may certainly have been somewhat unusual. After all, the Gigafactory now resembles a high-security wing. For example, the MOZ reports that not only is the entire factory site under video surveillance. On top of that, there is a strict ban on cell phones on site. In this context, the workforce probably also has to mask the smartphone cameras. The US company justifies the whole thing with internal data security. This could certainly be used by the new security employee as a good basis for data during investigations.

The fear of espionage seems to go even further at Tesla. The car manufacturer is now probably also using so-called middle boxes. These monitor the Wi-Fi network on the factory premises. However, the use of such technology is not really untypical. Tesla is still looking for a head of security. However, according to employees, there are already people who are supposed to monitor the employees. On top of that, a vehicle equipped with extensive video surveillance is making its rounds on the entire Gigafactory site, representing a mobile surveillance camera.

Tesla puts pressure on employees

Experience shows that the automotive industry has well-secured corporate secrets. After all, the fear of espionage by other companies is not new and quite well-founded. For this reason, employees should not be surprised if they have to sign an agreement to keep company secrets confidential. It is somewhat surprising, however, that Tesla warns its employees of possible claims for damages as part of the non-disclosure agreement. If their disclosure of internal knowledge leads to charges against the automaker, “Tesla will recover enforcement costs from the applicant, including reasonable attorneys’ fees.”

This is likely to deter many employees who want to alert authorities to abuses at the Gigafactory. An example from the USA makes it clear that Tesla also follows its words with actions in this area. There, according to a report by businessinsider, whistleblower Martin Tripp was asked by Tesla to pay damages of over $167 million. Of course, the automaker could not demand this utopian sum from just one former employee. In the end, however, it was still a proud $400,000 that Tripp had to pay to the automaker.