--- title: "Tesla Employees Are Apparently Stealing a Bizarre Number of Mugs" description: "Tesla managers have had to order a ludicrous number of coffee mugs at the company's plant in Berlin as people keep stealing them." date: "2024-07-18" modified: "2024-07-18" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/tesla-employees-stealing-mugs" categories: - "Advanced Transport" - "Future Society" - "Tesla" tags: - "elon musk" - "gigafactory berlin" - "tesla" - "the digest" --- # Tesla Employees Are Apparently Stealing a Bizarre Number of Mugs ![Tesla managers have had to order a ludicrous number of coffee mugs at the company's plant in Berlin as people keep stealing them.]() *\Image: Getty / Futurism\* ## Mug of Death Aside from [union busting]() and [underplaying environmental concerns](), Tesla's operations in Germany are dealing with yet another crisis: tens of thousands of coffee mugs mysteriously vanishing. As German news agency [*Deutsche Welle* reports](), managers have had to order a ludicrous number of them over the years. "I'm just going to give you a figure," Gigafactory Berlin plant manager Andre Thierig told employees during a recent staff meeting. "We've bought 65,000 coffee mugs since we started production here. 65,000!" "Statistically speaking, each of you already has five Ikea coffee cups at home," he added. "I'm really tired of approving orders to buy more coffee cups," threatening to remove all cutlery from break rooms. ## Nice Cuppa While Thierig's remarks garnered him a lively reaction from the crowd, stolen coffee mugs are only the tip of the iceberg. The factory in the German state of Brandenburg has been embroiled in controversy even before construction began in 2022. Back in 2020, for instance, the local government announced that it'd received a whopping [406 objections]() to the plant's construction. Residents even took to the streets, [protesting]() the clearing of a large number of trees and a massive strain on local drinking water supplies and quality. Earlier this year, the factory had to be shut down and evacuated after a [suspected arson attack]() left the site without power, an incident the company later [used]() to explain a [massive drop in year-over-year sales](). A month later, a swarm of [masked protesters broke down a fence]() and stormed the grounds, highlighting widespread displeasure with Tesla's plans to expand its operations. "Companies like Tesla are there to save the car industry, they’re not there to save the climate," anti-Tesla group Turn Off the Tap spokesperson Esther Kamm [told *Wired*]() at the time. Meanwhile, Tesla CEO Elon Musk has attempted to attract talent by building a "mega rave cave." The nightclub [opened its doors]() last week. But whether those efforts will be enough to convince them remains to be seen. The company has actively fought against its Berlin-based employees from unionizing. While the majority of workers [voted against union representatives]() of the powerful industry union IG Metall in March, the union has made significant progress, as [*Electrek* reported]() earlier this month. In short, Tesla workers have already had to deal with [mass layoffs](), notoriously [unsafe working conditions](), [rampant discrimination](), and [low pay](). At least in Germany, they get to take a mug or three home for their troubles. **More on Tesla Berlin:** *[Protesters Break Fence, Swarm Tesla Gigafactory]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()