Tesla fired employee who reviewed its driver assist features on YouTube

Image: YouTube / AI Addict

There is a complicated relationship between the company and customers who pay to test the software. These people are often fans of the company and want to promote it and show off its new features. Sometimes, though, they overshare, posting videos that show exactly when and how the software works.

Things are more complicated when the person sharing the clips works for a company. John Bernal, a former employee of the company who reviewed the company's software on his channel, was fired last month after posting a video that showed his car hitting a bollard.

According to CNBC, Bernal says that prior to his dismissal, he was told by his managers that he broke theTesla policy and that his YouTube channel was a conflict of interest. A number of close calls with pedestrians and cyclists were shown in a video posted by Bernal in March 2021. The video was shared widely on social networks.

After posting the video, a manager from my team tried to stop me from posting any negative or critical content related to FSD. They held a video conference with me but didn't write anything down.

CNBC says that the company's social media policy for employees does not forbid criticism of the company's products in public, but that the company is careful with its employees' use of social media.

Customers who pay for the company's advanced driver assist software are given access to experimental updates. Over 60,000 customers have signed up to test the software on public roads. There have been no accidents or injuries since the launch of the software.

There are a lot of people that want the company to fail, so don't let them mischaracterize your feedback and media posts.

A number of people post reviews of the company's software on the internet, and Bernal plans to keep his channel. I still care about finding and fixing bugs and vehicle safety, as Bernal told CNBC.