Tesla Sued By Former Engineer For Age Discrimination

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There has been another lawsuit filed against Tesla today. This time around the company is being accused of [spins the wheel]....age discrimination. A spokesperson for Tesla says the company is committed to upholding a discrimination-free workplace. Wait? Isn't that discriminating against discrimination?

Thomas Flessner was hired as a materials engineer at Tesla’s Fremont factory back in 2012, and was let go in February of this year. He’s now suing Tesla for age discrimination, claiming that he was frequently isolated by his coworkers and bosses for his older age, which ultimately led to him being fired. According to the lawsuit filed last Thursday, Flessner claims he was unlawfully fired following years of “unfair comments and criticism about his age” by coworkers and supervisors.
 
Man, cases like these are hard. There are some people who are older and more experienced, but dicks when they are working with people because they keep saying they are right because they are older and more experienced. There are younger folks who are dicks and don't listen to the person who is older and more experienced.

Really a he-said-she-said situation here.
 
I never understood why age discrimination in tech is even a thing.

While old people in the general population tend to be less skilled than younger people when it comes to using tech, I find the opposite to be true when it comes to tech professionals, with younger ones being so sabotaged by touch screen/iPad/App exposure that the mere thought of a command line scares them.

By far the most talented programmers and engineers I've met have all been over 40, some even over 60.
 
ruffbytes said:
Man, cases like these are hard. There are some people who are older and more experienced, but dicks when they are working with people because they keep saying they are right because they are older and more experienced. There are younger folks who are dicks and don't listen to the person who is older and more experienced.

Really a he-said-she-said situation here.
Click to expand...

I think dicks are dicks and should be fired for being dicks, not their age.
 
Zarathustra[H] said:
I never understood why age discrimination in tech is even a thing.

While old people in the general population tend to be less skilled than younger people when it comes to using tech, I find the opposite to be true when it comes to tech professionals, with younger ones being so sabotaged by touch screen/iPad/App exposure that the mere thought of a command line scares them.

By far the most talented programmers and engineers I've met have all been over 40, some even over 60.
Click to expand...


Except if you are over 50, good luck getting hired in the tech field. There is heavy discrimination against older people.

What to do if you are over 50? Try to look like you are under 50.
Start by remove older jobs and most/all dates from your resume. For your recent jobs just list how many years you worked there.
If your hair is grey (hopefully you still have hair), color it. Color or remove any facial hair.

Once you get the job and have proven yourself, let your hair go back to being grey and blame it on the job :p
 
You don't hire someone and then fire them in four years because they got too old. That doesn't make financial sense--Tesla would have LOST money doing that.

Age discrimination is a thing for sure... but this is not how it works. This is a more to the story kind of story IMO.
 
Steve said:
There has been another lawsuit filed against Tesla today. This time around the company is being accused of [spins the wheel]....age discrimination. A spokesperson for Tesla says the company is committed to upholding a discrimination-free workplace. Wait? Isn't that discriminating against discrimination?

Thomas Flessner was hired as a materials engineer at Tesla’s Fremont factory back in 2012, and was let go in February of this year. He’s now suing Tesla for age discrimination, claiming that he was frequently isolated by his coworkers and bosses for his older age, which ultimately led to him being fired. According to the lawsuit filed last Thursday, Flessner claims he was unlawfully fired following years of “unfair comments and criticism about his age” by coworkers and supervisors.
Click to expand...
So if you can't work with younger colleagues then there is age discrimination? I doubt there is a policy at Tesla in place that says younger workers must exclude older workers. If they're not including you then I think that's partly on you. We have engineers the age of my parents. Age has nothing to do with being included in the group dynamic. It's called being a dick, and not called being old. Or rather an old dick in this case.
 
Probably hired him and then regretted it. He constantly brings up other employees performance vs his. This is a sign of a trouble-maker. Worry about yourself and what happens to you. Don't worry about what I am doing or not doing, if he's so busy watching everyone else during the day.....
 
Age isn't a problem. I'm twice most of my coworkers age, yet they include me in everything, even outside work. The trick? Don't be a condescending prick. I may have 20 more years experience, but they have fresh eyes and see things differently. I still learn every day.
 
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When you are hired, you are hired based on discrimination. When you are fired, you are fired based on discrimination. In every. Single. Case.

Discrimination law is stupid and needs to be done away with. If a company is firing people because they're all too old, or women, or black or whatever...in this day and age, it will be news, and they will be publicly punished. We have progressed beyond needing laws for this dumb shit.
 
probably some old geezer that had a pretty impressive background back in his days, and now is just sitting back doing nothing and collecting a pay check. After being caught not doing anything, and gets fired... plays the age card. And probably a white male too, because otherwise the race or gender card would have been used too.

Man, this feels like a game of Yu gi ohm all over again.
 
problem is that employees are viewed like just a warm body. No such thing as one employee being more capable than the other. From that perspective age is just a disadvantage since the person will gain training and be gone sooner than a younger person. If you acknowledge someone is more capable than another there are potential appearance of EEOC violations. There is also a question of the credibility manager managing more capable persons under him. Easier to ignore your employee if his opinion is treated as no better than yours. Then the fact you got into management means you're just generally smarter and more dynamic so it justifies your authority.
 


Didn't really understand the man when I was younger. But listening to him now that Im older, his comedy makes far more sense.
 
In this day and age if you get fired or not hired for any reason it is because somebody is discriminating against you.
 
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