Wisk Aero faces lawsuit over alleged wrongful termination of safety whistleblower
Original: Boeing-owned Wisk Aero accused of firing manager who raised safety concerns
Why This Matters
Safety oversight allegations at an FAA-approved autonomous eVTOL developer raise significant regulatory and industry credibility concerns.
Boeing-owned electric air taxi company Wisk Aero has been sued by former software manager Briahna O'Neill, who alleges she was wrongfully terminated after filing two internal safety reports claiming engineers were directed to reduce FAA-required software testing to meet a 2025 test flight deadline.
The lawsuit was filed in Santa Clara Superior Court earlier this week. O'Neill alleges discrimination and wrongful termination, claiming she was fired just weeks after submitting her second internal safety complaint. According to O'Neill, Wisk engineers were instructed to reduce the volume of FAA-mandated software testing in order to meet a 2025 test flight deadline — a claim detailed in the two internal reports she filed. Boeing, which owns Wisk, declined to comment when contacted by The Seattle Times, which first reported on the lawsuit. Wisk did not immediately respond to TechCrunch's request for comment. Founded in 2019, Wisk is developing autonomous electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft and is among the few companies pursuing full autonomy in this space. Earlier in 2026, Wisk was one of eight companies approved by the FAA to participate in a three-year eVTOL testing program.