Sean O'Kane

Sean O'Kane is a transportation industry reporter with a focus on Tesla and EV startups. He has spent over a decade reporting on the business and technology of the transportation industry for outlets including Bloomberg News and The Verge. His reporting often covers investigations, controversies, and business practices related to Tesla.

Biography:  https://techcrunch.com/author/sean-o-kane/

93%

The overall score is a weighted number that takes into account conflict of interest, bias, deception and other practices that undermines the credibility of the source. It is calculated as:
Analysis.OverallConflictOfInterestScore * 0.3F + Analysis.OverallBiasScore * 0.3F + Analysis.DeceptivenessScore * 0.3F + Analysis.ReadabilityScore * 0.1F

A score that takes into consideration the content for flow, interruptions with ads, and overt search engine optimization techniques that makes the content hard to understand

The Daily's Verdict

This author is known for its high journalistic standards. The author strives to maintain neutrality and transparency in its reporting, and avoids conflicts of interest. The author has a reputation for accuracy and rarely gets contradicted on major discrepancies in its reporting.

Bias

85%

Examples:

  • The author has shown a bias towards reporting on investigations and controversies related to Tesla.
  • The author's reporting often emphasizes the negative aspects of Tesla's business practices.

Conflicts of Interest

100%

Examples:

  • The author has previously worked for Bloomberg News and The Verge, which may have had a financial or professional interest in reporting on Tesla and Fisker.

Contradictions

90%

Examples:

  • In one article, the author reports that 'Tesla tells drivers to pay attention to the road and keep their hands on the wheel while using Autopilot', but in another article, they report that 'Tesla has been found to misuse Autopilot in hundreds of crashes'.
  • The author reports that Fisker trading was suspended by NYSE due to abnormally low price levels, but this is not true according to SEC filings.

Deceptions

95%

Examples:

  • The author did not disclose that they had previously worked for Bloomberg News in their biography.
  • The author's reporting on Fisker's stock price being 'abnormally low' was false.

Recent Articles

NHTSA Opens Investigation into Tesla's Autopilot System after Recall of 2 Million Vehicles

NHTSA Opens Investigation into Tesla's Autopilot System after Recall of 2 Million Vehicles

Broke On: Sunday, 26 March 2023 The NHTSA has launched an investigation into Tesla's Autopilot system following a recall of over 2 million vehicles due to safety concerns. Post-remedy crashes and preliminary tests revealed inattentive driving as an issue, despite Autopilot requiring human oversight.
Tesla Announces Layoffs of Over 10% of Global Workforce Amidst Falling Sales and Competition

Tesla Announces Layoffs of Over 10% of Global Workforce Amidst Falling Sales and Competition

Broke On: Monday, 15 April 2024 Tesla, the world's most valuable automaker, announces a 10% global workforce reduction affecting approximately 15,000 employees. The move aims to cut costs and boost productivity amid dismal first-quarter sales and increasing competition. CEO Elon Musk sent an internal memo detailing staff reductions and paused stock rewards. Tesla also reduced production at its Shanghai Gigafactory. Two high-profile executives, Drew Baglino and Rohan Patel, have recently departed from the company.
Fisker Fails to Close $150 Million Financing Round Amidst Financial Struggles and Loss of Potential Deal with Nissan

Fisker Fails to Close $150 Million Financing Round Amidst Financial Struggles and Loss of Potential Deal with Nissan

Broke On: Monday, 25 March 2024 Fisker, an electric vehicle startup competing with Tesla's Model Y SUV and other mid-size electric SUVs such as the Ford Mustang Mach-E., has failed to meet a closing condition related to its attempt to raise $150 million by selling convertible notes after missing an interest payment on March 15. Despite having enough liquidity, Fisker lost a potential deal with Nissan and is in talks with large automakers for strategic options including restructurings and capital markets transactions.