Palo Alto, California – Tesla, the electric vehicle company, announced significant layoffs affecting the supercharging team on Monday, including the departure of two top executives. The shakeup was revealed in an email to company executives, signaling the exit of Rebecca Tinucci, senior director of EV charging, and impacting nearly 500 employees managed by her team.
In a LinkedIn post, Lane Chaplin, now a former real estate lead at Tesla, confirmed the layoffs on the supercharging team, describing the sudden news that the Charging organization within Tesla was no more. This restructuring follows Tesla’s earlier announcement of a 10% reduction in its workforce.
Additionally, reports indicated that the new vehicles program, led by Daniel Ho, and the public policy team at Tesla would also see cuts. CEO Elon Musk emphasized the necessity for aggressive cost-cutting measures in the email, underlining the company’s focus on efficiency and sustainability. Notably, Tesla did not respond to requests for comment on the developments.
The layoffs raised concerns about the impact on Tesla’s charging network, a crucial element in the company’s success according to industry experts. Despite reassurances from co-CEO of Bullet EV Charging Solutions, Andres Pinter, about Tesla meeting its commitments, the changes in the supercharging team’s structure could potentially affect consumer confidence in the widely popular Supercharger network.
During Tesla’s recent earnings call, Musk and CFO Vaibhav Taneja addressed the layoffs, with Taneja comparing the necessity of layoffs to pruning a tree for healthy growth. The ramifications of the layoffs extended to employees across various Tesla facilities, including Gigafactory 1 in Sparks, Nevada, and the company’s site in Austin, Texas.
The departure of key executives, including the vice president of Investor Relations and the senior vice president of powertrain and electrical engineering, added to the uncertainties surrounding Tesla’s future direction. With over 140,000 global employees at the end of 2023, Tesla’s restructuring efforts continue to raise questions about the company’s long-term strategy and financial stability.