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Tesla has fired an employee and shut down some of his self-driving privileges after he posted videos on YouTube in which he reviewed the company’s driverless technology while riding around Silicon Valley.
John Bernal, a data annotation specialist who started working for Elon Musk’s electric car maker in August 2020, created a YouTube channel called “AI Addict.”
He posted a video on Tuesday titled “Tesla FSD Beta San Jose Stress Test” in which he is seen driving around his Tesla in downtown San Jose to test the company’s latest release of its “full self driving” beta software.
Bernal told CNBC that when he first joined the company, he was given free access to Tesla’s FSD beta software, which was worth $8,000 at the time, as a perk.
Bernal said he was told by Tesla managers that the YouTube channel “broke Tesla policy” and that it was a “conflict of interest.”
“I worked for Tesla helping develop FSD and I test operated their software,” Bernal says as he narrates the YouTube video.
“I was fired from Tesla in February with my YouTube [channel] being cited as the reason why — even though my uploads are from my personal vehicle, off company time or property, with software I paid for.”
The Post has reached out to Tesla seeking comment.
Bernal says that on the morning of his firing, “I had zero improper use strikes in my vehicle.”
“Shortly after being fired, my system was suspended.”
In February of last year, Bernal said he launched his YouTube channel to show the public what the software can do.
Bernal says: “This channel is meant to educate the public by showing honest reviews from experts with industry knowledge.”
In 2017, Tesla employees who were fired from the company said they were told not to publicly criticize Musk.
They claimed the company forced them to sign agreements pledging not to make public comments in exchange for two weeks severance.
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