ELON MUSK UNVEILED – The Tesla-Experiment

  • nordische filmtage

For the first time, ELON MUSK UNVEILED pulls back the curtain on Musk’s empire, as close confidants, whistleblowers, victims, and former high-ranking Tesla employees speak out. Their testimonies expose hidden data and buried defects in the race for self-driving cars, where unchecked ambition costs lives and challenges Big Tech’s most powerful titan.

Year

2025

Length

90 Min

Director
Andreas Pichler 
Share

Synopsis

On a warm Florida night, Neima Benavides’ sister was standing still, stargazing at a quiet T-junction when a Tesla, barreling out of nowhere, slammed into her at full speed. She dies instantly. The driver survives and tells police that Autopilot was engaged. But when her family asked Tesla for answers, they got nothing. No data. No apology. No accountability.

In 2022, just a few years after the tragic accident, an investigative journalist at Handelsblatt, the German Financial Times, receives a bombshell from a whistleblower: 100 GB of internal Tesla files. These documents reveal a staggering trove of over 3,000 customer complaints, thousands of desperate pleas from Tesla owners about Autopilot malfunctions and catastrophic failures. Tesla’s response? Silence. Deflection. And strict orders: “Never put anything into writing.”

Since then, we have been in close contact with the whistleblower of the Tesla Files and uncovered the internal structure of Tesla and the system of fraud surrounding Elon Musk.

Meanwhile, in Washington, former combat pilot and robotics specialist Missy Cummings is appointed to the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) just as the agency begins a formal federal investigation into Tesla’s practices. At the same time, the DOJ is also looking into Tesla, fueled by the whistleblower’s data. Musk’s empire comes under siege, and his loyal online army begins a vicious campaign to discredit and intimidate anyone who dares to raise criticism.

But it’s already too late to shut it down. The NHTSA and the Department of Justice launch formal investigations into potential fraud. When former Tesla engineer John Bernal, once part of the Autopilot

development team, starts releasing whistleblower videos exposing fatal flaws in the technology, the FBI knocks on his door.

For the very first time, a collection of Musk’s closest collaborators and high-ranking former employees, including Cristina Balan, John Bernal, Craig Davis, Esben Pederson and Rachel Konrad, publicly share their stories, offering unprecedented insights into the system Musk built.

In this defining moment, the former darling of liberal, eco-conscious America makes his boldest move yet: Elon Musk throws his vast fortune behind Donald Trump’s re-election. With mounting legal investigations threatening Tesla and his entire tech empire, he sees no other way. Trump’s victory, and the sweeping powers Musk gains by sidelining government oversight, are now history.

Today, few dare speak out against the richest man in the world. His empire stands more powerful than ever. But in this film, those who were once closest to him rise up to speak out against Musk and the system he created, a system where unchecked ambition and secrecy put lives at risk.

Directed by
Andreas Pichler 

Produced by
Christian Beetz  

Executive Producers
Yara Hueck Costa
Anne von Petersdorff
Martin Pieper 

Written by
Anne von Petersdorff
Christian Beetz
Andreas Pichler  

Consulting and Research by Handelsblatt
Sönke Iwersen
Michael Verfürden
Felix Holtermann
Handelsblatt’s investigation “Tesla Files” served as the starting point for this film  

Director of Photography
Jakob Stark
Tom Bergmann  

Editing
Johannes Hiroshi Nakajima
BFS Beatrice Segolini
Nicolás Nørgaard Staffolani  

Music by
Henning Fuchs  

ELON MUSK UNVEILED – The Tesla-Experiment
Trailer

Produced by

  • bb

In collaboration with

  • handelsblatt

In co-production with

  • HR
  • SWR
  • NDR
  • wdr

Produced for

  • ard
  • List Title

With the support of

  • idm
  • fritt ord

In association with

  • arte
  • arte

Supported by

  • mbb
  • NZ

ELON MUSK UNVEILED – The Tesla-Experiment

  • nordische filmtage

For the first time, ELON MUSK UNVEILED pulls back the curtain on Musk’s empire, as close confidants, whistleblowers, victims, and former high-ranking Tesla employees speak out. Their testimonies expose hidden data and buried defects in the race for self-driving cars, where unchecked ambition costs lives and challenges Big Tech’s most powerful titan.

Year

2025

Length

90 Min

Director
Andreas Pichler 
Share

Synopsis

On a warm Florida night, Neima Benavides’ sister was standing still, stargazing at a quiet T-junction when a Tesla, barreling out of nowhere, slammed into her at full speed. She dies instantly. The driver survives and tells police that Autopilot was engaged. But when her family asked Tesla for answers, they got nothing. No data. No apology. No accountability.

In 2022, just a few years after the tragic accident, an investigative journalist at Handelsblatt, the German Financial Times, receives a bombshell from a whistleblower: 100 GB of internal Tesla files. These documents reveal a staggering trove of over 3,000 customer complaints, thousands of desperate pleas from Tesla owners about Autopilot malfunctions and catastrophic failures. Tesla’s response? Silence. Deflection. And strict orders: “Never put anything into writing.”

Since then, we have been in close contact with the whistleblower of the Tesla Files and uncovered the internal structure of Tesla and the system of fraud surrounding Elon Musk.

Meanwhile, in Washington, former combat pilot and robotics specialist Missy Cummings is appointed to the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) just as the agency begins a formal federal investigation into Tesla’s practices. At the same time, the DOJ is also looking into Tesla, fueled by the whistleblower’s data. Musk’s empire comes under siege, and his loyal online army begins a vicious campaign to discredit and intimidate anyone who dares to raise criticism.

But it’s already too late to shut it down. The NHTSA and the Department of Justice launch formal investigations into potential fraud. When former Tesla engineer John Bernal, once part of the Autopilot

development team, starts releasing whistleblower videos exposing fatal flaws in the technology, the FBI knocks on his door.

For the very first time, a collection of Musk’s closest collaborators and high-ranking former employees, including Cristina Balan, John Bernal, Craig Davis, Esben Pederson and Rachel Konrad, publicly share their stories, offering unprecedented insights into the system Musk built.

In this defining moment, the former darling of liberal, eco-conscious America makes his boldest move yet: Elon Musk throws his vast fortune behind Donald Trump’s re-election. With mounting legal investigations threatening Tesla and his entire tech empire, he sees no other way. Trump’s victory, and the sweeping powers Musk gains by sidelining government oversight, are now history.

Today, few dare speak out against the richest man in the world. His empire stands more powerful than ever. But in this film, those who were once closest to him rise up to speak out against Musk and the system he created, a system where unchecked ambition and secrecy put lives at risk.

Directed by
Andreas Pichler 

Produced by
Christian Beetz  

Executive Producers
Yara Hueck Costa
Anne von Petersdorff
Martin Pieper 

Written by
Anne von Petersdorff
Christian Beetz
Andreas Pichler  

Consulting and Research by Handelsblatt
Sönke Iwersen
Michael Verfürden
Felix Holtermann
Handelsblatt’s investigation “Tesla Files” served as the starting point for this film  

Director of Photography
Jakob Stark
Tom Bergmann  

Editing
Johannes Hiroshi Nakajima
BFS Beatrice Segolini
Nicolás Nørgaard Staffolani  

Music by
Henning Fuchs  

ELON MUSK UNVEILED – The Tesla-Experiment
Trailer

Produced by

  • bb

In collaboration with

  • handelsblatt

In co-production with

  • HR
  • SWR
  • NDR
  • wdr

Produced for

  • ard
  • List Title

With the support of

  • idm
  • fritt ord

In association with

  • arte
  • arte

Supported by

  • mbb
  • NZ