The glossy video on the website of Atieva, a Silicon Valley startup developing a self-driving electric vehicle, is a hard sell for the California dream. Applying the California state of mind to shape a new vision of what a car can be." Related: Inside Faraday Future: is it really a big player in the future of electric cars? But a Guardian investigation can reveal significant problems inside the troubled startup including concerns among staff after a major investor was revealed to be Chinese billionaire Jia Yueting – the owner of rival Californian EV startup Faraday Future. Sources inside Atieva fear that Jia's ultimate aim is to merge Atieva's battery expertise – and perhaps the whole company – into Faraday Future, a mysterious but well-funded startup that has yet to reveal much about its own plans. Atieva's problems started in late 2015 when its founder and CEO, Bernard Tse, left the company following friction with its largest shareholder, Beijing Automotive Industry Holding (BAIC), one of China's leading state-owned carmakers. The company has yet to publicly acknowledge this or announce a replacement. Related: Inside Faraday Future: is it really a big player in the future of electric cars? Then in early April 2016, BAIC sold its entire 25% stake in Atieva, according to sources close to the company, who say that Jia is the most likely purchaser.With Faraday Future breaking ground last week on a new 1bn assembly plant in Nevada, several Atieva staff now expect the company to be absorbed into Faraday Future before its own product even sees the light of day. The Guardian approached Atieva and LeEco, which has close links with Atieva, for comment but they did not respond. A spokesman for Faraday Future said that it operates independently. Previously a vice-president at Tesla, Tse founded Atieva in 2007 alongside former Oracle executive Sam Weng. "The car business is seeing a sea change," Tse told the Guardian. "This is the opportunity that Silicon Valley has been waiting for since 1945.