Whistleblower Blows the Horn on Tesla Are Self-driving Cars Really Safe?
Whistleblower's Concerns Uncover Unsettling Questions on Safety of Self-Driving Cars by Tesla
A former Tesla employee has tossed a wrench into the gears of the company’s self-driving vehicles, claiming that they are far from being road-ready. Lukasz Krupski, a service technician from Elon Musk’s factory in Oslo, Norway, has blown the whistle, revealing customer complaints about Tesla’s self-driving software and braking. This bombshell came to light after German newspaper Handelsblatt published the ‘Tesla Files’, a treasure trove of information sourced from Mr. Krupski’s leak of the company’s internal 100GB of data.
But wait, there’s more! According to the report by BBC News, Krupski wasn’t the only Tesla employee privy to the dark secrets of malfunctioning vehicles. He was tipped off by his fellow comrades about the cars randomly slamming on the brakes to avoid nonexistent obstacles – a phenomenon so fancy it has its own name: ‘phantom braking.’
Naturally, Tesla, with its European headquarters nestled in the Netherlands, has yet to respond to the accusations. Meanwhile, Krupski has been losing sleep over the whole ordeal. His recent experience has been nothing short of a horror show, but perhaps he’ll find solace in his actions being recognized with the prestigious Blueprint for Free Speech Whistleblowing Prize. Hey, at least he’s getting some kind of reward for his troubles.
The bigger picture here, folks, is the question of safety. These concerns about glitchy self-driving vehicles won’t simply fade away like a discontinued Snapchat filter. It goes beyond Tesla and strikes at the core of our most precious concern: staying alive on the road. Manufacturers, despite the advances in AI and other flashy technologies, must prove beyond a reasonable doubt that they are rigorously testing, controlling quality, and implementing the necessary measures before we entrust them with our lives on the highways and byways.
In the meantime, while Tesla deals with the fallout from this scandal, they had the audacity to start delivering their Cybertruck, the automaker’s first-ever EV pick-up truck. Talk about bad timing, am I right?
So, buckle up, my tech-loving friends, and let’s hope manufacturers step up their game before we encounter more “phantom braking” nightmares. Safety first, always. Keep your eyes on the road and your hands on the wheel!
[BBC News]: British Broadcasting Corporation News [EV]: Electric vehicle
