New Delhi, Oct 9 (IANS): Vaibhav Balghare on Sunday became a well-known Twitter follower of Elon Musk after the Tesla CEO responded to his tweet about how the electric car-maker caught an employee who leaked the trade secrets in 2008.

Balghare who has a Twitter handle @NASAEarthMars asked Musk that how did he caught "that employee who leaked the confidential data of Tesla and sold it to the news outlet?" in 2008.

The Tesla CEO replied: "That is quite an interesting story. We sent what appeared to be identical emails to all, but each was actually coded with either one or two spaces between sentences, forming a binary signature that identified the leaker".

Another follower asked Musk what finally happened to those employees.

"They were invited to further their career elsewhere," Musk replied.

When a follower asked the Tesla CEO if he took any legal action against them, he said: "Too busy trying to survive at the time".

Musk in December last year responded to Indian engineer Pranay Pathole on how the company neared bankruptcy on Christmas eve during the 2008 financial crisis.

"On Christmas eve 2008, Tesla funding round completed, Tesla was literally a few days from bankruptcy,@elonmuskhad to put in all his money & assets," Pathole wrote on Twitter.

Responding to the tweet, Musk said it was the "crazy tough year".

"Payroll would otherwise have bounced two days after Christmas," he replied.

"That was a crazy tough year. Tesla financing closed at 6pm Christmas Eve – last hour of the last day possible. Payroll would otherwise have bounced two days after Christmas," Musk replied.

In 2008, Tesla was in dire need of cash to survive the recession.