Tesla’s Push to Build a Self-Driving Car Sparked Dissent Among Its Engineers.

The pressure was high to get testing done and develop the product. In a 2015 email, Mr. Rose urged engineers to get started on validating the technology, or to proving it works in tests, “RTFN”—right the f— now.

Some engineers and suppliers pushed back. Issues they debated included the amount of time a driver would be given to retake the wheel if a car’s autonomous driving features stopped working; mechanisms to keep drivers engaged; and whether the technology should be allowed on all roads.

Weeks before the October 2015 release of Autopilot, an engineer who had worked on safety features warned Tesla that the product wasn’t ready, according to a resignation letter circulated to other employees and reviewed by the Journal.

Autopilot’s development was based on “reckless decision making that has potentially put customer lives at risk,” the engineer, Evan Nakano, wrote.

There’s an old geopolitical jokes which goes: “Brazil is the next superpower — and always will be.” Some days you get the same feeling about fully automated cars.