Elon Musk reportedly fired virtually all of Tesla’s Supercharger vehicle charging team after a presentation and argument with a top executive.
Mr Musk made the decision to fire most of the personnel on the 500-member team after a meeting with charging chief Rebecca Tinucci, according to anonymous company sources who spoke with Reuters.
During the meeting, Ms Tinucci reportedly pushed back against Mr Musks’s calls for deep cuts to the charging team.
He reportedly responded by ordering the mass firings, part of a larger round of layoffs at the EV company as the company struggles with declining profits and increased competition.
The Independent has contacted Tesla for comment.
Since then, the company has begun quietly rehiring some members of the Supercharger team.
Following a decade of investment, Tesla’s network of rapid charging stations now includes more than 6,200 facilities across the world, and formed a core part of Tesla’s sales pitch to customers, promising to match the scope and convenience of conventional refueling infrastructure for gasoline-powered cars.
The cuts at the Supercharger team could throw a wrench in the works of the company’s larger plans. Scores of automakers have signed agreements for their EVs to be compatible with the Supercharger network, set to take effect this year.
In a post earlier this month, Mr Musk promised continued investment in Superchargers.
“Tesla will spend well over $500M expanding our Supercharger network to create thousands of NEW chargers this year,” he wrote on X. “That’s just on new sites and expansions, not counting operations costs, which are much higher.”
Company insiders, however, told Reuters that contractors and municipal governments who’d made long-term plans based on the Supercharger network were frustrated with the firings.
“It’s just unfortunate that now they’re stuck holding the bag on all these different projects,” a former employee told the wire service. “It’s really sad to see all these relationships burned and people be really angry - rightfully so.”
