Elon Musk has officially shut down the division responsible for operating the Supercharger fast-charging station network – resulting in the layoff of the entire team of about 500 employees. News of the layoffs quickly spread, with some former employees sharing their emotions on social media.
“At 3:34 AM, my nearly 8 year run at Tesla has come to an end. While I am still processing this sudden news, I am filled with gratitude for the hundreds, if not thousands of individuals I was honored to work with during my time at Tesla and what we accomplished in accelerating the world’s transition to sustainable energy,” said one employee named Felix Hamer on LinkedIn.
The move to lay off the entire team has raised questions about the future of the Supercharger fast-charging network, especially after Tesla opened the network to GM and Ford vehicles. The Supercharger was once a point of pride for Tesla.
Still, Elon Musk says the company plans to continue expanding the Supercharger network. However, the expansion will be at a slower pace, with a focus on new locations.
Citing employees, Carscoops reported that working at Tesla at the moment feels like being on a real-life version of the TV show Squid Game. In recent news, two of the company’s top executives have departed, and hundreds more employees are expected to leave soon.
Rebecca Tinucci, the senior director of Supercharger operations, and Daniel Ho, the company’s new vehicle programs director, both left on May 1, following an email to senior staff from CEO Elon Musk on April 30.
The Information reported that nearly everyone who reported to both Tinucci and Ho will soon be laid off, including the 500-person Supercharger team. The publication also said that Tesla’s public policy team could be on the chopping block for additional layoffs.
“Hopefully, these actions make it clear that we need to be extremely hardcore about cost reduction at all levels,” Musk wrote in the email. “While some leaders are taking this seriously, most are not.”
Tesla announced earlier this month that it would be cutting 10 percent of its workforce. The automaker is facing a slowdown in the EV market and increased competition from Chinese rivals. It delivered just 386,810 vehicles during the first quarter of this year, down 8.5 percent from the same period in 2023.
Musk explained that the 10 percent reduction in staff was needed to “reduce costs and increase productivity.” Musk went on to say that the cuts were made after careful consideration. “This is the single hardest thing I have had to do in my career,” he wrote.
