Christal Rodriguez

Building for the next century, not the last.

[Christal Rodriguez @ChristalR01]

“The present is theirs; The future, for which I really worked, is mine.”
-Nikola Tesla

[Christal Rodriguez @ChristalR01]

@PhysInHistory Resilient prism

[Christal Rodriguez @ChristalR01]

@elonmusk Sometimes a massive engine just sits there choking, no matter how much you hit the gas. When the internal ignition fails, you have no choice but to hook a jumper up to a live wire just to get the system to turn over.

[Christal Rodriguez @ChristalR01]

@elonmusk Trading the high strength to weight ratio of composites for the thermal mass and high melting point of 300 series stainless was a bold pivot. Does the steel require any secondary thermal treatment after the orbital welding process?

[Christal Rodriguez @ChristalR01]

They got the invention, the assignment, and the sole inventor on paper.
I got a phone call, six months of unemployment, and the privilege of explaining to my three kids why the job disappeared overnight.
All while the same company kept running ads and internal messaging about innovation and putting people first.
You can keep the polished language.
In May 2027 the filing goes public.
Until then, enjoy the narrative. I already lived the version that doesn’t make the brochure. #AEP

[Christal Rodriguez @ChristalR01]

I followed every step they required for the invention. Leadership was aware. The paperwork was done. I was the sole inventor.
In return I received no compensation, no recognition, and a phone call ending my employment.
That’s the full exchange.
The application publishes May 20, 2027. After that the public can read it themselves.

[Christal Rodriguez @ChristalR01]

Getting fired is one thing.
Getting fired over the phone with a reason that still doesn’t fully line up with the events leading up to it is another.

[Christal Rodriguez @ChristalR01]

I was told it was about performance and meeting expectations.
From where I stood, the full picture never matched that simple explanation.

[Christal Rodriguez @ChristalR01]

What makes it hard to accept at face value is the timeline.
I had been engaging with senior leadership on an idea that aligned with the company’s stated goals. I completed the internal process they required. I also reported workplace issues through the proper channels.

[Christal Rodriguez @ChristalR01]

That was delivered over the phone.
When I asked for specific performance deficiencies, I was not given clear answers.

[Christal Rodriguez @ChristalR01]

The official reason I was given for my termination was “improper job performance and failure to meet expectations outlined in the Letter of Expectations.”

[Christal Rodriguez @ChristalR01]

I’m not going to publicly disclose the design.
But I will say this: the problem it was built to solve is still very real, and the people who need it most are the ones who usually end up paying when the system fails.

[Christal Rodriguez @ChristalR01]

You can talk about innovation and grid resilience all day.
It’s different when someone actually tries to deliver a solution that could reduce risk and cost for real people, and then gets discarded over a phone call.

[Christal Rodriguez @ChristalR01]

I believed it mattered.
I took it through the proper internal channels.
Leadership was aware.
Then the company decided I was no longer worth keeping.

[Christal Rodriguez @ChristalR01]

What I worked on was designed to change that equation, longer life, better resilience under extreme conditions, and the ability to give operators real-time visibility so problems can be caught earlier.
The goal was fewer outages and lower long-term burden on everyday customers.

[Christal Rodriguez @ChristalR01]

The core problem is simple:
Traditional poles fail under modern hazards.
Replacing them the old way is expensive and still leaves the system vulnerable.
Ratepayers end up paying for the same failures over and over.

[Christal Rodriguez @ChristalR01]

I invented a solution aimed at one of the hardest problems utilities face: keeping the grid standing through wildfires, extreme wind, ice, and aging infrastructure, while trying to protect regular families and small businesses from carrying the full cost.

[Christal Rodriguez @ChristalR01]

To every intern and college student entering corporate America:
Read the invention assignment and intellectual property clauses in your offer letter and employee handbook before you sign.
Most large companies claim ownership of ideas you develop while employed (and sometimes even related ideas you work on outside of work). From day one, the company often owns what comes out of your head if it relates to their business. You can be the sole inventor on paper and still have zero ownership rights once you sign.
That is not a conspiracy. It is standard practice. And most young people only find out how permanent it is after the fact.
Companies will talk about innovation, continuous improvement, and “valuing your contributions.” Some will even encourage you to bring ideas forward. Just understand the legal reality underneath the language: once assigned, those ideas belong to them. Your employment can end over a phone call. The ideas stay.
Protect yourself. Ask questions. Get clarity on IP terms. Don’t assume good intentions will override a signed assignment.
The polished mission statements and the actual power dynamics are not the same thing.

[Christal Rodriguez @ChristalR01]

Six months later and I’m still processing getting fired over the phone by a company that spent an entire year talking about innovation and continuous improvement. It’s wild how quickly that language disappears when it actually costs them something. #AEP

[Interesting STEM @InterestingSTEM]

Steve Jobs on predicting artificial intelligence and Large Language Models (LLMs) in 1985, at Lund University.

[Christal Rodriguez @ChristalR01]

@AndrewKolvet Do you even listen to anyone other than yourself? Asking for a friend.