Get the latest tech news

My battle with Tesla: I want to clear my name before I die

A former Tesla engineer is in a decade-long battle with the car company, owned by Elon Musk.

A Tesla whistleblower who has battled Elon Musk and his company through the courts for a decade tells BBC News she is still seeking a public apology. But towards the end of our Zoom call, when former Tesla engineer Cristina Balan dramatically removes her wig and tearfully tells me she has just finished breast-cancer treatment - and is now fighting, as a single mother, for both her life and her reputation, it's impossible not to feel her emotion. Ms Balan recalls chatting to Mr Musk in the lunch queue at the staff canteen and says she was happy and successful – living her dream, after growing up in Romania with a lifelong passion for cars.

Get the Android app