Martin Eberhard's blog gets redacted, he drinks the Volt Kool-Aid
Over at Martin Eberhard's new soapbox, the TeslaFounders blog, he giveth and taketh away. First with the latter. When we first checked in with Martin a couple of weeks ago, he was writing about what he described as a Stealth Bloodbath. That post has since been redacted although it can be found in that fount of knowledge known as the Google cache. It just goes to show yet again that once something gets out on the world wild web, no matter how many lawyers you sick on it, it's unlikely to ever truly go away. By the way, Tesla's Darryl Siry didn't know who if anyone at Tesla actually contacted Martin about removing the post.
On the giveth side, Martin's latest entry talks about his encounter last year with Bob Lutz. When one of our colleagues encountered Eberhard checking out the Volt in Detroit last year, he was dismissive of the idea. However at some point after the show he had a private audience with Maximum Bob. Between that encounter and other discussions with people involved in the Volt program, he came to realize that GM was serious and the idea actually had merit in advancing the cause of vehicle electrification. You can read Martin's whole tale over his blog.
[Source: TeslaFounders.com]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Yanquetino 9:15PM (1/25/2008)
I am surprised that AutoblogGreen has not posted one word on the fact that, as of this week, the other co-founder and VP of Engineering, Marc Tarpenning, as well as the VP of Vehicle Engineering, Malcolm Smith, have now disappeared as well. That leaves 6 executives on the "team": the new CEO, two VPs, the CTO, an accountant, and... a lawyer.
And speaking of lawyers, I see that Martin has edited his blog yet again, leaving only a bare-bones statement that its entry has been removed. Even worse, rather than answering a blogger's question, he writes that he cannot state anything about Tesla. Not even anything complimentary or positive or encouraging? This smells very fishy to me. I suspect that the company's threat is no longer merely a threat: they are actually going through with it.
I fervently hope that this is NOT the case. If it is… I predict that public opinion will deem it petulant, vindictive, downright despicable, and devoid of any constructive purpose whatsoever. Indeed, it would do more harm than good, not only to the company, but also to its customers, present and future.
In short, it would be a fool’s errand to try and inflict punitive damages on someone for openly expressing sympathy, compassion, regret, and heartache over other former employees who have likewise been fired --whether or not the dismissals were justified. Instead, the company needs to focus exclusively on making the Roadster a success --which is exactly what Martin himself has stated that he wants to see happen on numerous occasions.
Reply
Sam Abuelsamid 9:28PM (1/25/2008)
What makes you think Powell is gone? I was in San Carlos yesterday and he was still very much there. He also just put a post on the blog. As for Tarpenning I haven't heard anything but I'll check.
Reply
Yanquetino 11:53PM (1/25/2008)
Sam: I didn't say Malcolm Powell; I said Malcolm Smith. There are --well, were-- two Malcoms. As far as I know, Powell is indeed still there: he is the VP of Vehicle Integration, i.e., their "point-man" with Lotus.
Reply
Sam Abuelsamid 10:53AM (1/26/2008)
Sorry I misread your previous comment.
Reply
jetpeach 9:33PM (1/18/2008)
I have to say, reading Martin's blog makes me feel he was definitely part of the problem at Tesla, and not having him around anymore is probably part of the solution. No matter how angry you might be at the people who have taken over the company he founded, what type of person makes a case against the product they're trying to sell? His blog fundamentally argues for the Volt over the Roadster, and this just seems like a poor act for the founder of a company.
I want to someday pursue a startup, and even if it gets ripped away from me with me kicking and screaming, I wouldn't fight against my old company if it was something/selling something I believed in. Martin must not really have his heart in electric vehicles.
Reply
why not the LS2/LS7? 9:55PM (1/18/2008)
Things seem to be a mess over there. I know they are just trying to reorganize things, but it seemed like they got rid of some people they're going to need soon.
On a better note, I got to sit in a Tesla Roadster a couple days back. I got to see it power up and drive away too. Sadly (for me), I didn't get a ride, let alone a drive.
Reply
Joseph 11:35PM (1/18/2008)
"His blog fundamentally argues for the Volt over the Roadster, and this just seems like a poor act for the founder of a company."
I don't think he ever even implies that the Volt is better than the Roadster. He simply said in that post that what GM is doing can be validated as a real life solution, and not some marketing scheme.
Reply
Turbofrog 11:20PM (1/18/2008)
What are you talking about jetpeach? He says that pure BEVs like the Tesla are the future, but that by putting electric vehicles (in one form or another, with REEVs as a transitionary element) into the hands of many more people, it can only benefit consumer adoption of the technology. Which in turn benefits Tesla. He says that outright, in fact.
"GM mass-producing EVs is good for the world because of the sheer number of cars they can sell, and good for Tesla Motors because it validates the market in the eyes of the consumers and the press."
I don't think he's changed his tune in the slightest. It sounds to me that Martin is passionate about the company because he's passionate about the ideals, and not just another businessman. Tesla needed, and still needs, him.
Reply
TG 1:33AM (1/19/2008)
That was a long talk with Bob Lutz.
I suspect Lutz may have suggested that the switch to EVs be more gradual. Keep the ICE in play, even if it is only 75 hp.
Think of all those UAW members who rely on ICE related manufacturing like rads, muffler/cat systems, fuel injection, rubber hoses and oil sump systems.
Think of the economic downturn ahead.
Canada*s auto mfng. sector just asked the government for a $450 million shot in the arm.
But then, I am somewhat suspicious of GM.
TonyGuitar.blogspot.com = TG
Reply
ronald Q, 3:49AM (1/22/2008)
I agree with TG. I will be always suspicious of any big car company. I just cant trust them no more. That is why we need a company like Tesla, So we can show those companies that doing the right thing benefits everyone. I, on my part will do my best to make companies like Tesla succesful. How? simple! through word of mouth.
Reply
RQ 3:45AM (1/22/2008)
I agree with TG. I will be always suspicious of any big car company. I just cant trust them no more. That is why we need a company like Tesla, So we can show those companies that doing the right thing benefits everyone. I, on my part will do my best to make companies like Tesla succesful. How? simple! through word of mouth.
Reply
Tim 3:10AM (1/19/2008)
Tesla sure has changed a lot since Martin left and Mr. Creepsoid initiated a mass firing. The Roadster is a nice car, but as far as I'm concerned their mission now seems to be pump and dump after IPO. Unfortunately for them, nobody is buying the pump anymore.
Reply
Dave B 11:31AM (1/19/2008)
I'm with Tim, IPO seems to be the focus and Martin's goals were only altruistic from the get-go. jetpeach, you don't know what you're talking about.
Reply
Turbofrog 3:08PM (1/19/2008)
I don't understand why everyone seems to think that redesigning our automotive infrastructure will mean a downtown in the economy. Alternatives need to be conceptualized, designed, engineered, and manufactured - it seems to me, if anything, it will produce more near-term jobs than existing mature industries.
Reply
OhmExcited 5:06PM (1/19/2008)
Interest quote in the Mercury News:
"If you don't get the job done, there are consequences," Siry said.
That's rich, considering Tesla has had virtually no positive writeups in the news following Eberhard and former director of PR Vesprimi's departure. What a deluded soul. It's a shame what's happening there.
Reply
Darryl 10:14PM (1/19/2008)
@OhmExcited
We've sold every car we can build this year. Should I continue to try to drive promotional PR or should Tesla instead be heads down and focused on delivering cars to the existing customers? The main focus from a media/PR standpoint is on test drives, which you will see in the coming weeks in all the major magazines.
There will be a time - after we deliver cars - when it is appropriate to ramp up the promotional machine again.
By the way - David's last name is spelled Vespremi.
Reply
Tim 12:28AM (1/20/2008)
So you have time to post on blogs, but no time to give interviews to newspaper reporters? (for positive stories that is; the negative ones abound) GM has marketed the Volt, which can't be sold in large number until 2011. They even ran seriously expensive ads with money they don't have during the World Series.
Seriously, do you not believe that the Tesla brand has been damaged by the recent actions of new management and the Bentley driving big man that owns you? And that the former endless flurries of goodwill on the part of the press toward your company has dried up only because you have no time? (with your "head down" doing feverish fracture mechanics engineering calculations on the transmission, no doubt). Come on, man.
Reply
why not the LS2/LS7? 3:05AM (1/20/2008)
You sold every car you can produce this year (160 is my understanding) while Eberhard was still there. Back when he was preaching EV to the receptive crowd back in Santa Monica.
I'm not sure how laying off people helps you deliver more cars to customers. I'm not sure how laying HR off first helps to deliver more cars to customers. And telling your ex-employees they have 20 minutes to clean out their desks is hurtful and doesn't really prevent information loss when you're laying off the person who engineered your motor! He created it the first time, he doesn't need to steal information off his computer to do it again!
Who am I kidding anyway? All this is peanuts compared to what's going to happen when Tesla debuts a PHEV. It's one thing to make money selling expensive EVs to true believers. It's another thing to try to go head to head with GM selling PHEVs.
Reply
Schlumpfy 2:30PM (1/20/2008)
"We've sold every car we can build this year. Should I continue to try to drive promotional PR...?"
Did I read this right? Are you really equating PR with selling cars? PR stands for Public Relations, not Marketing & Sales, and not PRomotion. And PR is what Tesla needs right now, since all the customers are freaking out at the delays and the sudden layoffs, and the long run of positive press has just as suddenly dried up. Shoot, I'm not a part of this industry at all and even I can see that.
Tim and Dave B, I tend to agree with you but my take is that they will sell the company before they ever IPO. They're not leaving themselves much choice at this point.
Reply
Darryl 4:20AM (1/21/2008)
Thanks for all the advice...yeesh. I'll go back to TTAC.com where the commenters are much kinder!
Reply