Xpeng Motors: Tesla's behavior is like bullying, and it once demanded the disclosure of source code

Xpeng Motors has made a solemn statement regarding Tesla's accusation that former employee and current Xpeng Motors employee Cao Guangzhi stole Autopilot source code.

Xpeng Motors said in a statement that recently, after Tesla filed a civil lawsuit against its former employee, visual scientist and current Xpeng Motors employee Cao Guangzhi in March 2019, it made many unreasonable demands to Xpeng Motors, such as providing all the self-driving source code to date. In the past year, Xpeng Motors has not concealed anything and has been working hard to assist in the investigation of the case. However, there is no evidence to date that Xpeng Motors has abused trade secrets or engaged in other improper behavior. Therefore, Xpeng Motors rejected its request.

It is regrettable that Xpeng Motors' complaint against Tesla shows obvious bullying of a young competitor.

According to Bloomberg, Tesla tried to accumulate evidence and portray the former employee as a "traitor", while requiring Xpeng Motors to disclose its self-driving source code, hand over hard drive images, and even ask the employees involved to be interviewed. Tesla also asked a former Apple employee to provide information. The employee was criminally charged for trying to obtain a new job opportunity at Xpeng Motors by stealing secrets, but Xpeng Motors later stated that the company had never received a job application from the engineer and had no contact with the person regarding recruitment or business.

A spokesperson for XMotors, Xpeng Motors’ U.S. research unit, said in a statement: “Tesla’s latest request crosses the line in attempting to scour our intellectual property for technology that belongs to Tesla and has worked to discredit us with distortions and innuendo.” The statement claimed that Tesla’s efforts to link the two Chinese engineers were “spreading speculation and prejudice.”