Tesla files indictment against Chinese media outlet over “sweatshop” report

PingWest, a Chinese tech media outlet, has received a letter of indictment from Tesla over a report claiming “sweatshop” conditions at Giga Shanghai.

In their report, PingWest cited unnamed sources and described the factory as low-tech and high-pressure. They also accused the automaker of sacrificing quality for the sake of faster production.

“PingWest has found that the insanely high production volume has not been the direct result of the technological advancement that Tesla is known for, but rather the same old high-intensity manual labor that still plagues many industries inside China,” PingWest reported.

The claims were quickly denounced by Tesla China VP Tao Lin. On her personal Weibo account she called them “outrageous”. She added the automaker would take legal action against the outlet.

True to her word, Tesla sent PingWest an indictment and other legal notices on Sunday, according to a report in Global Times. The report was confirmed by PingWest later on Sunday.

PingWest have said they will “actively cooperate” with the lawsuit. They also announced they have sued Tesla themselves for infringing on their right of reputation via the internet.