“Rivian instructed a recently departed Tesla employee about the types of Tesla confidential information Rivian needs,” Tesla states in the lawsuit. The company says it found that three other employees took “highly valuable and confidential information when they left Rivian.” The lawsuit also notes that more than a dozen Rivian recruiters are former Tesla employees and “are therefore familiar with the type of information that Tesla employees have access to.”
In a statement, a Rivian spokesman called Tesla’s claims “unfounded.”
“We admire Tesla for its leadership in restoring expectations of what an electric car can be,” a spokesperson said in a statement to Engadget. “Rivian is made up of high-performance, mission-driven teams, and our business and technology model is based on many years of engineering, design and strategy development. This requires the contribution and knowledge of thousands of employees from all technological and automotive spaces. By joining Rivian, we require all employees to confirm that they have not, and will not, enter the IP of former employers into Rivian’s systems. The allegations in this lawsuit are unfounded and run counter to Rivian’s culture, spirit and corporate policies. “
Tesla did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
