CEO Elon Musk on Monday announced more layoffs at Tesla only weeks after he said the company would cut 10% of its global workforce.
In an email sent to top executives, Mr. Musk said Tesla will eliminate its entire Supercharger team and its leader, Rebecca Tinucci. The charging station group includes around 500 employees, with only a few getting reassigned to other departments, according to the CEO.
Ms. Tinucci oversaw the expansion of Tesla’s Supercharger network in the U.S. and the mass adoption of the North American Charging Standard at other automakers.
Mr. Musk clarified that Tesla will finish work on all unfinished Supercharging stations in the U.S. and continue building more.
Others affected by Tuesday’s layoffs include most of the electric vehicle giant’s public policy department and Daniel Ho, director of Vehicle Programs and New Product Initiatives.
The Information news site was the first to report on Mr. Musk’s announcement.
In his email, he clarified that the staff reduction is just a start and that workers who don’t “obviously pass the excellent, necessary and trustworthy test” will also be cut.
The layoffs come amid slowing EV sales and stiff competition. This month Tesla reported missing its quarterly projections on deliveries and had a year-over-year reduction in sales.
• Vaughn Cockayne can be reached at vcockayne@washingtontimes.com.
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