Is Tesla Motors mad that Digg founder Kevin Rose spoiled the launch of its Model S sedan by leaking photos on Flickr? Yes and no, depending on who you ask at the ailing electric-car startup.

Rose has deleted the pictures after someone at Tesla requested that he take them down. But Tesla flack Rachel Konrad seems thrilled with the leak, praising Jalopnik editor Ray Wert for his site's coverage of the leak. Here's Konrad's email to Wert (who took issue with recent coverage of Konrad's blogger-outreach strategy):


So was the leak a violation of Tesla's intellectual-property rights, or a "really, really nice job"? It's about as clear as anything at the electric-car startup these days.

For Tesla, any publicity is good publicity. The Model S unveiling is Tesla's last-ditch hope at a future in the business. Although it does not have financing for the production of the Model S, or even a site for a factory to produce it, Tesla plans to take deposits for the $58,000 vehicle from customers, a move at least one Tesla executive deemed fraudulent, prompting his departure.

We asked Tesla CEO Elon Musk who sent Rose the takedown request and he replied, "I think it was your mom." And then added, "By the way, I have a crow sandwich coming your way soon." Good to know that this standard-bearer of the green revolution isn't working himself to death to launch his new vehicle and still has time to toss playground insults at bloggers.