BUFFALO, NY (WKBW) — More trouble for Tesla's SolarCity in south Buffalo. There's a scathing new article by Vanity Faira ccusing CEO Elon Musk of not keeping his commitments to New York State.
The article, titled “He’s Full of S**t”: How Elon Musk Fooled Investors, Bilked Taxpayers, and Gambled Tesla to Save SolarCity"
accuses Musk of breaking “promises” to investors and taxpayers.
The magazine article quotes a couple of former SolarCity employees who point the finger at Teslsa CEO Musk.
They question his failure to keep "promises" when it comes to the sprawling facility in south Buffalo. The two employees were part of a Tesla-wide round of layoffs last January. 50-jobs were cut in Buffalo.
There are a number of controversial issues ranging from musk's debit troubles, lost profits and failures on solar panel production time lines.
The next round of trouble for musk could come if he fails to live up to hiring promises at SolarCity.
By next April he must have a total of 1,460 employees at the buffalo facility or he will be fined $41.2 million by the state, but not everyone is on the anti-musk band wagon.
“Do you feel at all duped that they have not lived up to some of the things promised?” Buckley asked Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown.
“No – not at all. At this point, they have worked very diligently with the state. A number of the job projections are moving forward…literally hundreds of people are working there,” replied Mayor Brown.
Despite the controversy, the Mayor is not questioning musk's goals for the local facility.
“Who holds his feet (Musk) to the fire? You or the state - when it comes to your city – and those hiring quotas?” questioned Buckley. ‘It is the state. This is a contract between Tesla and the state of New York. The state has been very good in following up and following through. Hundreds of people have been hired and are working at the plant,” responded Brown.
“Have you received any complaints from Tesla workers?” Buckley questioned. “I have not received any complaints from Tesla workers – and hopefully any complaints that workers have will be able to be forwarded to Tesla management and that management will listen to those concerns and address concerns,” Brown answered.
Telsa provided us hiring numbers saying Tesla and its partner Panasonic - employee 800-workers locally.
There is a shareholder lawsuit against Tesla. The vanity fair article quotes the suit referring to "significant liquidity concerns." And now Walmart is suing Tesla for solar panels that have caught fire at some of its stores.
