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This sounds terrible for Tesla in many directions. Either she is right, in which case Tesla sounds very bad. Alternatively, Tesla is completely right (which I p

This sounds terrible for Tesla in many directions. Either she is right, in which case Tesla sounds very bad. Alternatively, Tesla is completely right (which I personally don't believe), in which case as they confess that : "Vandermeyden had been granted numerous positions “over other more qualified candidates” and was “given special treatment and opportunities for advancement that were unwarranted based on her qualifications”."

jacquesm 9y ago
Yes, that really stood out for me too. They've essentially already admitted that they are susceptible to pressure and on top of that they may be in violation of the law too. Screwed either way.
partisan 9y ago
The latter indicates that there was something there. Why should someone get special treatment of that nature?
rootusrootus 9y ago
Most companies would refuse to comment on a situation like this, especially one that is high profile. Based on Tesla's willingness to make such an incendiary public statement, I'm guessing they have a big pile of documentation to back it up. I agree that they probably just opened themselves up to other legitimate lawsuits. Oops.
- taeric 9y ago
  Funny, a guess could also be that they have an entitlement complex and expect to just be believed. I'm honestly not sure which I expect to be the case. :(
- btbuildem 9y ago
  I'm sure they ran this by their lawyers and PR people and were advised as to whether it is the best course of action.
- deleted 9y ago
  [deleted]
SomeStupidPoint 9y ago
I would find it amusing if Tesla won the case against her, and then lost the case against a male engineer she was promoted over, based on those statements -- you know, for sexist promotions.
- mantas 9y ago
  Which could work out to be rather cheap PR. Just imagine how much press they'd get for that.
praveenbeatle 9y ago
It feels like another case of someone bringing their political ideology to the job rather a willingness to do great work.
- matt4077 9y ago
  "Not being sexually harassed" is not a political ideology, it's a fundamental human right.
  - kolbe 9y ago
    In the event of sexual harassment, you may be right. Certainly, female sexual rights have been a moral point of interest for a century or so, and it's not one that shared by all cultures today. And it was shared by almost none in pre-industrial societies. So, I'm not sure there's the level of proof that it's a "fundamental human right" in the way that liberty has been proven in political philosophy. But praveenbeatle is referring to the idealistic drive to be a part of a societal change by making up events to exploit for political gain.
    - J-dawg 9y ago
      Praveenbeatle has been downvoted, but they made a good point. It seems like this stuff has become so politically charged that it's almost impossible to have a non-toxic conversation about it. Of course it's true (sadly) that sexual harassment happens. It's also true that some women are almost comically hypersensitive about this stuff (like the "dongle" incident at that Python conference).
      - CJefferson 9y ago
        Why pick out women? I know men who are hypersensitive about this stuff. I'm trying just to be argumentative, but try not to turn this into a men Vs women argument, that is a lot of the problem.
    - deleted 9y ago
      [deleted]
kolbe 9y ago
Companies are free to give all the special treatment they want so long as it isn't rooted in one of the protected classes. While gender is one of the protected classes, they never admitted she received said treatment because of her gender. It could have been because they thought she showed a great deal of potential, despite her less than impressive resume.
wbhart 9y ago
I'm pretty sure Tesla is referring to her position vs her qualifications here. A company won't usually hire people into senior positions if their qualifications aren't adequate. It's then a case of the employee being promoted up the ranks in line with their performance. It sounds like Tesla is saying she was promoted, even over others with higher qualifications, precisely because of her contributions. In jobs that I've had over the years, I've also corrected mistakes made by more senior colleagues and made suggestions that they have not made. But I had no expectation to suddenly be paid as much or more than them.
gragas 9y ago
>Alternatively, Tesla is completely right (which I personally don't believe), in which case as they confess that : "Vandermeyden had been granted numerous positions “over other more qualified candidates” and was “given special treatment and opportunities for advancement that were unwarranted based on her qualifications”." Why is it bad to admit that? She's fired now anyways.
- dragonwriter 9y ago
  > Why is it bad to admit that? Because it's fuel for lawsuits by other people, as it admits that Tesla's hiring and promotion has been based on special treatment and not qualification, and implies (though does not explicitly state) that that was gender-based. It's also bad because it tells investors that Tesla's hiring is based on special treatment and not ability to do the job. (And, on top of that, that Tesla's management is irresponsible enough to admit that publicly.)
ryandrake 9y ago
Seems like a "damned if you do, damned if you don't" scenario for Tesla. If you promote her, then you're being unfair to the more qualified other candidates. If you don't then you're discriminating against her.

jacquesm 9y ago

Yes, that really stood out for me too. They've essentially already admitted that they are susceptible to pressure and on top of that they may be in violation of the law too. Screwed either way.

partisan 9y ago

The latter indicates that there was something there. Why should someone get special treatment of that nature?

rootusrootus 9y ago

Most companies would refuse to comment on a situation like this, especially one that is high profile. Based on Tesla's willingness to make such an incendiary public statement, I'm guessing they have a big pile of documentation to back it up. I agree that they probably just opened themselves up to other legitimate lawsuits. Oops.

taeric 9y ago
Funny, a guess could also be that they have an entitlement complex and expect to just be believed. I'm honestly not sure which I expect to be the case. :(
btbuildem 9y ago
I'm sure they ran this by their lawyers and PR people and were advised as to whether it is the best course of action.
deleted 9y ago
[deleted]

SomeStupidPoint 9y ago

I would find it amusing if Tesla won the case against her, and then lost the case against a male engineer she was promoted over, based on those statements -- you know, for sexist promotions.

mantas 9y ago
Which could work out to be rather cheap PR. Just imagine how much press they'd get for that.

praveenbeatle 9y ago

It feels like another case of someone bringing their political ideology to the job rather a willingness to do great work.

matt4077 9y ago
"Not being sexually harassed" is not a political ideology, it's a fundamental human right.
- kolbe 9y ago
  In the event of sexual harassment, you may be right. Certainly, female sexual rights have been a moral point of interest for a century or so, and it's not one that shared by all cultures today. And it was shared by almost none in pre-industrial societies. So, I'm not sure there's the level of proof that it's a "fundamental human right" in the way that liberty has been proven in political philosophy. But praveenbeatle is referring to the idealistic drive to be a part of a societal change by making up events to exploit for political gain.
  - J-dawg 9y ago
    Praveenbeatle has been downvoted, but they made a good point. It seems like this stuff has become so politically charged that it's almost impossible to have a non-toxic conversation about it. Of course it's true (sadly) that sexual harassment happens. It's also true that some women are almost comically hypersensitive about this stuff (like the "dongle" incident at that Python conference).
    - CJefferson 9y ago
      Why pick out women? I know men who are hypersensitive about this stuff. I'm trying just to be argumentative, but try not to turn this into a men Vs women argument, that is a lot of the problem.
  - deleted 9y ago
    [deleted]

kolbe 9y ago

Companies are free to give all the special treatment they want so long as it isn't rooted in one of the protected classes. While gender is one of the protected classes, they never admitted she received said treatment because of her gender. It could have been because they thought she showed a great deal of potential, despite her less than impressive resume.

wbhart 9y ago

I'm pretty sure Tesla is referring to her position vs her qualifications here. A company won't usually hire people into senior positions if their qualifications aren't adequate. It's then a case of the employee being promoted up the ranks in line with their performance. It sounds like Tesla is saying she was promoted, even over others with higher qualifications, precisely because of her contributions. In jobs that I've had over the years, I've also corrected mistakes made by more senior colleagues and made suggestions that they have not made. But I had no expectation to suddenly be paid as much or more than them.

gragas 9y ago

>Alternatively, Tesla is completely right (which I personally don't believe), in which case as they confess that : "Vandermeyden had been granted numerous positions “over other more qualified candidates” and was “given special treatment and opportunities for advancement that were unwarranted based on her qualifications”." Why is it bad to admit that? She's fired now anyways.

dragonwriter 9y ago
> Why is it bad to admit that? Because it's fuel for lawsuits by other people, as it admits that Tesla's hiring and promotion has been based on special treatment and not qualification, and implies (though does not explicitly state) that that was gender-based. It's also bad because it tells investors that Tesla's hiring is based on special treatment and not ability to do the job. (And, on top of that, that Tesla's management is irresponsible enough to admit that publicly.)

ryandrake 9y ago

Seems like a "damned if you do, damned if you don't" scenario for Tesla. If you promote her, then you're being unfair to the more qualified other candidates. If you don't then you're discriminating against her.