Between massive layoffs, cancellation of projects, waves of layoffs and departures of key managers, it is legitimate to wonder what is happening at Tesla.
In 2024, Tesla posted financial results below expectations. To deal with this situation, Elon Musk announced the dismissal of 10% of the company’s employees. A decision that has caused a lot of ink to flow, especially since Tesla is a company renowned for its innovation and technological advance.
But that’s not all. Elon Musk also announced the cancellation of the $25,000 car project, a project that could have made electric cars accessible to more people. Instead, Elon Musk has decided to focus on a Robotaxi, a project which will be announced in August 2024. Tesla has not given up on selling cheaper cars, but they will be designed from existing platforms.
The black series continues
But what worries you the most is the departure of key managers at Tesla. Indeed, Elon Musk fired several important officials, such as the manager responsible for negotiating the adoption of NACS as a universal charging port. Tesla also reportedly got rid of the entire Supercharger team, a team responsible for developing and installing charging stations for electric cars.
The departure of Rebecca Tinucci, senior director of electric vehicle charging at Tesla, is particularly concerning. She was part of the Supercharger team with 500 others who will also have to leave the company.
In an email sent to Tesla employees, Elon Musk said the pace of charging station expansion is expected to slow after the Supercharger team was laid off. According to the last quarter’s report, Superchargers are one of the areas in which the company wants to invest. Despite this, Elon Musk indicates that Tesla will complete the Superchargers currently under construction and continue to build new ones.
In addition to Rebecca Tinucci and her team, Tesla is also laying off another executive: Daniel Ho, vehicle program manager and former program manager for Model S, Model 3 and Model Y. Finally, Tesla is parting ways with a large part of Rohan Patel’s team. For your information, Rohan Patel was responsible for policy and business development, but he recently resigned from his position and left Tesla.
Elon Musk wrote in his email: “ I hope these measures will make it clear that we need to be tough when it comes to cutting staff and costs. Some managers take this seriously, but most don’t yet “.
The decisions made by Elon Musk for Tesla in 2024 raise many questions, both ethically and socially. If these departures and this new wave of layoffs are confirmed, Tesla will undoubtedly have to reassure users and shareholders. Because it is difficult to understand these recent decisions.