loceng your comment falls directly into the "Drinking the Kool Aid" bucket. If Tesla was such a sure thing then their stock price would reflect that. It doesn't because people who assess it still see a lot of risk to go along with a lot of upside. So it's fair to ask "If you're taking a reduced salary in exchange for stock options how likely is it that you'll be rewarded?" Right now the jury is out. It's important to remember that Tesla has no real competition to their core market right now. Mid to High end electric cars. Once they prove out the concept they'll face stiffer competition. I do hope they'll succeed and think Musk is one of the greatest visionaries and innovators of our time. That doesn't mean you don't get to ask hard questions around execution and competition.

As to the OP and original thread I think the question would be "Do a Google search on your four or five favorite startups/companies around "X working environment" Does Tesla feel disproportionately represented by negative comments or inline with the others relative to age and size. EVERY hard charging company has disgruntled folks. It's a question of proportionality I think.