Lucid Motors’ former chief engineer sues for wrongful termination and discrimination

The erstwhile main technologist of Lucid Motors, Eric Bach, has sued the institution for wrongful termination, discrimination, and retaliation, and claims 1 of the automaker’s apical HR executives referred to him arsenic a “German Nazi.”

The national lawsuit, filed Monday successful the Northern District of California, claims Bach was stripped of his responsibilities overseeing the powertrain part successful aboriginal 2025 arsenic a effect of an HR probe into the company’s workplace culture. Bach claims to person been targeted due to the fact that of his German heritage.

Bach archetypal learned astir the disparaging remark successful mid-2025 — months aft the probe into workplace civilization was launched and aft losing immoderate responsibilities astatine the company, according to the complaint. He encouraged a co-worker to study the incident.

TechCrunch has reached retired to Lucid and volition update the nonfiction if the institution comments connected the lawsuit.

Bach claims Lucid Motors “confirmed” the HR enforcement made the remark. Bach logged an interior ailment against different Lucid vice president for likewise racist behavior.

He claims Lucid Motors retaliated by trying to unit him to resign successful October 2025. Lucid fired Bach connected November 5, 2025, according to the lawsuit. Lucid Motors’ property merchandise from that time lone said helium had “departed.”

The suit comes during a tricky infinitesimal for Lucid Motors. The institution is burning done currency arsenic it works to ramp up accumulation of its 2nd vehicle, the Gravity SUV. It is processing much affordable mass-market vehicles connected a mid-sized level slated to debut sometime successful precocious 2026.

Lucid has besides been churning done executives. The company’s VP of engineering near connected the aforesaid time Bach claims to person been fired, arsenic TechCrunch antecedently reported. Former CEO and CTO Peter Rawlinson abruptly resigned successful February, and the institution has inactive not named a imperishable replacement. Lucid’s caput of capitalist relations, Senior Vice President of Operations, Managing Director for Europe, and the Vice Presidents of Software Quality and Marketing each near wrong the past year, too.

Bach, successful the complaint, claims to person been ascendant earlier the interior investigation. An technologist who spent a decennary with the company, Bach says helium oversaw “all hardware engineering,” “product absorption and firm planning.”

Bach states that Lucid’s president Turqi Alnowaiser “praised Bach’s loyalty and dedication to the Company and expressed a tendency to proceed moving with Bach.” He besides claims committee subordinate Andrew Liveris “signaled that Bach would go Chief Technology Officer (the presumption “is yours to lose”) and that Bach could 1 time go Chief Executive Officer,” according to the complaint.

The workplace civilization probe launched successful precocious 2024, which Bach claims was “tainted by HR’s racist beliefs,” “initially resulted successful Bach losing important responsibilities.” The HR section told Bach astatine the clip that helium contributed to a mediocre civilization astatine the company, according to the complaint. In summation to losing oversight of the powertrain team, Bach claims to person been excluded from committee meetings.