Lucid Motors terminated the Chief Engineer after he voiced concerns over HR referring to him as a 'Nazi,' as stated in a lawsuit.

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      Last month, Lucid announced the departure of Eric Bach, its senior vice president of product and chief engineer, after a tenure of 10 years. Although the reasons for his sudden exit were not disclosed, we now have additional details. On Monday, Bach filed a wrongful termination lawsuit in federal court against Lucid, claiming he was fired after raising concerns about discrimination and a hostile work environment. He alleges that a colleague referred to him as a “German Nazi” and turned the company against him.

      In the lawsuit filed by his attorneys, Bach, who was born and raised in Germany, asserts that Lucid's human resources department initiated a “tainted” investigation into the company’s workplace culture in late 2024, which led to a “significant” reduction in his responsibilities and his exclusion from Lucid board meetings. By mid-2025, Bach claims he learned from an unnamed colleague that Lucid’s Senior Director of HR, Rachael Rivera, had made “racist comments” about him during the investigation, including labeling him a “German Nazi.”

      The complaint indicates that Bach encouraged the colleague to report the issue through appropriate internal channels and also did so himself, resulting in the company “confirming” that Rivera had referred to him as a Nazi. Despite this, as well as another claim that Lucid’s VP of Program Management Gemma Parker stated she “hates” Bach “so much,” Bach alleges that Lucid defended Rivera and Parker while blaming him for “unprofessional behavior” and dismissing his complaints. A few months later, it is claimed that Lucid pressured Bach to resign and then terminated him when he refused.

      Bach’s legal team emphasizes throughout the lawsuit that the circumstances indicate he could not have been dismissed over performance issues, noting his notable achievements over his decade at Lucid, such as the launch of the Air sedan and Gravity SUV. The complaint references the various raises, bonuses, and equity he received as evidence that the company was satisfied with his performance, including a recent promise from a board member regarding a promotion to chief technical officer.

      Ultimately, Bach alleges that Lucid “intentionally discriminated against [him] on the basis of race,” engaged in “public disparagement,” and made him a scapegoat for the challenges associated with launching the Air and Gravity. The lawsuit also highlights that “labeling someone a Nazi is considered extremely serious,” particularly for a German national like Bach, who speaks English with a German accent.

      We reached out to Lucid for a response. Although the company has not issued a formal statement, a source within Lucid labeled Bach’s allegations as “baseless” and contested the description of his termination. The source pointed to the well-documented issues faced by Lucid—ranging from widespread software problems to manufacturing delays and quality control challenges—and mentioned that the company started restructuring its leadership earlier this year to realign its operations.

      This restructuring included promoting Emad Dlala, the former VP of powertrain technology, to Senior VP for Engineering and Digital following Bach’s exit. The source noted that Dlala’s effective leadership of the powertrain team led Lucid to reassess the responsibilities of all executives, concluding that Bach’s management of overall product development was contributing to a multitude of issues down the line. While software was not under Bach’s direct oversight, the source argued that software development cannot be fully realized if product development is not executed properly and on schedule.

      Lucid is not alone in its restructuring efforts amid growing product issues, especially those related to software, that are prevalent across the industry. In November, GM restructured its executive team and announced the departure of two key software VPs and its head of AI after hiring Sterling Anderson as its new chief product officer in May. However, it is fair to say that this is likely the only instance in which a departing executive is alleging that they were called a Nazi.

      The lawsuit also reveals that Bach plans to file charges with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission for Title VII violations and with the California Civil Rights Department. He is seeking a jury trial. Further updates will follow as available.

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