Elon Must is not only the richest man in the world. He is also one of the most powerful and the most dangerous men alive. Sönke Iwersen and Michael Verfürden do a wonderful job of going over their investigation that started when a whistleblower delivered over 100gb of confidential Tesla files.

I was flabbergasted the whole way through this book. The borderline inexistent data protection within the company was enough to convince me that this book needed to exist. What do you mean confidential information from both clients and employees is available to anyone within the company network? Confidential information that included even Elon Musk's social security number, by the way. It was unbelievable.

But then I kept reading and saw the hole is so much deeper. This exposé includes a deep dive in the toxic work environment inside Musk's factories, his own complex family history, and the mortal dangers from erratic and unexplainable behavior from the “self-driving” cars.


The Tesla Files is a great read, but also its own contradiction. While I believe this is 300 pages of damning evidence, even the authors recognize that revelations mean even less every day Elon acquires more power. It gets harder and harder to hold him accountable for misgivings and crimes. Nevertheless, I believe this is a good overview of such an infamous public figure.

Thank you to NetGalley, Sönke Iwersen, Michael Verfürden, and Steerforth & Pushkin for the advanced copy. This review is left voluntarily and honestly.

Really solid journalism from Handelsblatt. As someone working in cybersecurity, I honestly don’t understand how a company like Tesla can be this careless with data. The lack of basic controls, the way sensitive information was handled — it’s not just sloppy, it’s systemic.

The book doesn’t try to dramatize what’s already shocking. It lays it all out — internal emails, data leaks, employee info — and lets the material speak for itself. That’s what makes it powerful.

If you work in tech, privacy, or compliance, this is worth reading. Not because it’s surprising — but because it confirms what many of us have long suspected: security isn’t a priority unless someone forces it to be.

very interesting book. Not sure i believe it though. I just see someone jumping on the Elon Musk bandwagon to get rich off his name

I read this ARC in exchange for an honest review
All thoughts and opinions are mine

The write up intrigued me

I learned so much from this

A great read

First of all, thank you for the ARC. *The Tesla Files* is a fascinating, fast-paced read that pulls back the curtain on one of the world's most secretive companies. The writing strikes that perfect investigative-journalism tone—blending hard facts with urgency that makes it read like a thriller. I appreciated how the authors provided context to the whistleblower's story and Tesla's corporate culture rather than just focusing on sensational claims.

However, the abundance of details and names occasionally becomes overwhelming, and at times I wished the narrative would slow down to let the more significant revelations sink in. Nevertheless, it's an eye-opening and thought-provoking examination of the intersection between technology, power, and personality. If you enjoy corporate exposés, investigative reporting, or want to see beyond Tesla and Elon Musk's public image, this book is definitely worth reading.

This was a captivating and superb read about Musk, Tesla, and so much more! The riveting narrative, meticulous research, and fascinating facts are the perfect combination to keep readers hanging on every word. My knowledge of Elon Musk was rather limited before reading this, and some of the things I learned while reading The Tesla Files honestly blew my mind. It's quite scary what one can do and get away with when they have seemingly unlimited power. The number of people that helped in and contributed to the investigation, the time they spent, and the effort they put forth are nothing short of impressive.

A dramatic unmasking of Elon and Tesla.

Showing data for things they tried to hide like the failing of Autopilot, to buying X and buying the election, it doesn’t hide away from arguably the most powerful man in the world.

It can read like a spy drama at times, when the whistleblowing is covered, and it hooks you from the first sentence.

I’d absolutely recommend Tesla fans to read this if they’re interested in a look behind the curtain at how the company runs without getting a job there!

This book has me hooked from the first sentence, "If Elon Musk had his way, this book wouldn't exist". And after reading it, I'm inclined to agree.

As an important public figure, I have heard bits and pieces about Elon Musk that make an appearance in this book, but to see it all lined up really puts into perspective how dangerous unchecked power can be.

The investigation into the Tesla Files was a riveting read, and I would recommend it to anyone who wants to have a true understanding of Tesla, in both some of its internal operations as well as the resultant external consequences.

I’ve never been a particular fan of Elon Musk but I’ve never been a fervent hater either, I’ve seen him in the headlines and know a little of his background but I found this book absolutely fascinating.
The research and attention to detail was second to none, every chapter was gripping and I found myself thinking about the book long after I’d put off down.
I don’t want to get too much into the actual content because anything I say won’t do it justice but the content of The Tesla files is astounding and the sources and information it led to so interesting.
Suffice to say I loved this book and will be buying a copy for my husband and will re commend it to anyone that will listen to me!

I could only read about 40 percent of this book before I was filled with such shock and disgust at this man that I had to put it down for now with current events.

I need to protect my mental health a bit better so I’m going to pick this one back up when things are more mellowed out, but this book told me so much information about this man that I did not know and wow.

It’s told really really well from the journalist perspective and in a chronological time order that allows me to really grasp everything. I did not think that I would get as invested in a nonfiction book that’s about this man, but it’s told in such an excellent way and there is actual information in here that I have not seen elsewhere. This is wild. This is a lot. This is bad. I am grateful that this book exists because this information is needed and I’m hoping that the world gets a little bit better soon. There’s so much that I did not know about this man and while this book helps to explain his behaviors a little bit more. It also makes them more terrifying in a way and it’s making me hyper analyze things a bit.

I did not know Elon had 14 children with multiple wives. I did not know he had been kicked out essentially of his first two companies. This man is like a modern day. You know what.

This book is so much and I need to like think about this before I like finalize this review but please be aware if you’re picking this book up there is definitely some stuff in here. That’s going to make your brain go. Oh my.

This man is evil, and there will always be really evil people in the world, but this man actively has an insane amount of power. This book is so scary, please read proceed with caution.

Thank you for approving me for this ARC. I appreciate the opportunity to leave honest feedback voluntarily.

I highly recommend this book; you simply must buy it and read it! Not because it allegedly uncovers any management misconduct at Tesla, but because instead it shines a spotlight on the total scam that investigative journalism has become. Two examples will make my point. First, "The Tesla Files" focuses on the imaginary flaws in Tesla's Auto Pilot (Tesla's self-driving software). Tesla has built millions of cars (and if 50% of them came with Auto Pilot) then that is still millions of Tesla's software have been on the highways across the USA and the EU for decades. And "The Tesla Files" found that less than 1,000 of these countless cars had problems with sudden acceleration, or unnecessary braking. An infinitesimal number! But the authors did not offer a single word of context, which used to be a bedrock principle of high-quality journalism. And the authors of "The Tesla Files" also made a major claim about Elon Musk's over the top forecasts called "puffing." And during my very first semester in law school in the US in 1972, I learned that "Puffing" was 100% legal and had been so for decades, but "The Tesla Files" falsely treated Mr. Musk's "Puffing" as if it was a crime. This book contains many other falsehoods and exaggerations showing conclusively what a crock investigative journalism is today.

We’ve all been Musked.

A fantastic insight into the behind the scenes working of Tesla and the man behind it all - Elon Musk, the richest man in the world.

The most shocking part? The lack of much awareness (myself included) that this was even happening or has happened.

The book is sure to be explosive as it provides a dual insight into the Tesla Files as well as the investigative journalism process that leads to some explosive allegations.

Tragedy is outlined and the company seems to remain mysterious when one of its machines seems to gain a mind of its own - a scary prospect for not only owners of Teslas but also for any other road user.

Predictably, since the book was written, there’s been further turns in the Musk story and it’s doubtless that this will be the last book of this unfolding story.

The risks taken by whistleblowers and the seeming difficulty of getting the attention of governments and regulators is sure to amaze and frighten readers.

A fantastic book and a must read for everyone.