Report: Tesla Employees Are Defecting To A New Rival

It might come as little surprise that four of the five rival leaders of new electric car startup Faraday Future are formerly Tesla Motors Inc (NASDAQ: TSLA) employees. Tech Insider reported that Faraday Future has built a reputation for poaching top talent from Tesla.

Nick Sampson, VP of R&D at Faraday Future, stated earlier this month at the company's CES event that they currently have more than 750 employees.

According to a LinkedIn search, 410 people are current employees at Faraday with nearly 73 of those listed also having Tesla as a former employer. The majority of those who once worked at Tesla were engineers, according to Tech Insider.

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Sampson stated that Faraday Future aims to have its cars on the road by 2020, however, Tech Insider recently spoke with the executive and reported that he "made it clear" that the company will not start selling its cars until it could the quality of the Faraday car could be guaranteed.

"Like everything we do, we are a little mysterious and so we really want to keep the exact dates and times somewhat under wraps at the moment. We are aiming to deliver something in the next couple of years, but quality and ensuring the right kind of product is there and everything is right on it is of paramount importance," Sampson stated.

Benzinga has reached out to Tesla for comment on the matter.

Shares of Tesla traded recently at $191.12, down 2.7 percent on the day.