I would imagine it was either a whistleblower or someone from a regulation agency came by and noticed. Tesla management found out, said “oopsie”, rubbed their hands and followed with “we can grow through this experience”. These companies have a budget for fuck ups.

At one point of my life, I helped audit/ book keep for a fortune100 and boy do people not care. I have seen some places rack up hundreds of thousands of dollars in bills because they had only 1 person managing that. They paid their bills through a personal credit card so they can get the points from their bank. Really illegal stuff. They got fired for sure but I’m just saying it happens.