Report: Tesla Set for Layoffs

by Chris Teague

Published: April 15th, 2024

Things are getting a little bumpy at Tesla. The automaker’s first-quarter delivery numbers raised eyebrows, undercutting even the most critical expectations by a notable margin. Now, rumors are swirling about Tesla’s employee base, with some telling Electrek that the automaker plans to cut as much as 10 percent of its workforce in what would amount to thousands of layoffs.

Tesla had already riled workers with slow performance reviews, and many didn’t appreciate the automaker’s decision to raise prices earlier this year. It also appears to have nixed plans for an affordable entry-level EV in favor of a broad robotaxi initiative, which hasn’t sat well with many inside the company and out.

While Tesla hasn’t been shy about layoffs in the past, they were generally due to overhiring and shedding workers who were not up to the cut. This round comes at a turbulent time for the automaker, which could indicate a disease at the top levels of the company, with slow sales and other factors.

The situation isn’t much better with Tesla’s existing vehicles. People are reporting significant problems with brand-new deliveries, such as pedals falling off the Cybertruck (this could become a bigger story over time), and the company recently had a massive number of excess vehicles in its inventory.

Of course, EV growing pains aren’t unique to Tesla. The whole industry is grappling with sliding demand and high prices, as many have backtracked to develop new hybrids and plug-in hybrids to fill the gap. That said, Tesla doesn’t have that option, making things uniquely precarious for the once rapidly-growing American automaker.

[Image: Tesla]

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Chris Teague

Chris grew up in, under, and around cars, but took the long way around to becoming an automotive writer. After a career in technology consulting and a trip through business school, Chris began writing about the automotive industry as a way to reconnect with his passion and get behind the wheel of a new car every week. He focuses on taking complex industry stories and making them digestible by any reader. Just don’t expect him to stay away from high-mileage Porsches.

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5 of 22 comments

3SpeedAutomatic on Apr 15, 2024
Curious, what gives Elon most of his wealth?? Is it:
- Tesla
- the space company,
- "X" (formerly known as Twitter),
- the boring company,
- money left over from PayPal
- something else
I suspect it's Tesla. Yet, Elon has not been minding the EV company as much as he needs to. EV's are moving from "early adapter" stage to "commodity" status. All of Detroit, the Nippon brands (sans Toyota), and the Koreans are jumping on the bandwagon in earnest. Lordstown is out, Rivian is struggling, Mustang Mach E's are sitting on dealer lots, not sure about Lucid Air (not to be confused with the Cadillac Lyriq), and the rest are holding their breath. Is this Malaise 2.0 due to expiring tax credits, nebulous mileage quotes, the hassle of charging, and/or media publicity concerning burning cars??
Just wait till BYD hits town. Ouch!!!!! 🚗🚗🚗
2 Reply
- See 1 previous
- Pig_Iron on Apr 15, 2024
  
  I would be very surprised if it's Xitter. Particularly because he violates the try before you buy standard there. ✖
  
  Like
- Bd2 on Apr 15, 2024
  
  Toyota is jumping into BEVs in a pretty big way as well (albeit a little slower than others), currently building a new BEV and battery plants in NA.
  
  Like
Jpolicke on Apr 15, 2024

I wonder where the layoffs are coming from. Can’t be from QC, nobody works there.

3 Reply
- EBFlex on Apr 16, 2024
  
  Or engineering.
  
  1

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