Elon Musk Obliterated Tesla Supercharger Team After Fateful Meeting: Report
TECHNOCRAT TIZZY
Not pleased with a presentation from the head of Tesla’s Supercharger division, CEO Elon Musk made a snap decision to fire her—along with all 500 of her employees. Four former employees of the electric vehicle-charging division, which was wiped out by a massive layoff last week, told Reuters they lost their jobs after one fateful meeting between the technocrat and charging chief Rebecca Tinnucci about the future of the network. Sources said that in the meeting, Tinnucci resisted Musk’s request for further layoffs, as she had cut between 15 percent and 20 percent of her staff two weeks earlier. A dissatisfied Musk decided to lay waste to her department, which is a main driver of electric vehicle sales, as Superchargers make up over 60 percent of U.S. high-speed charging ports. The chargers are now under the purview of Tesla’s energy team, and the transition has plunged contractors, who have been told to pause on any new projects, into chaos. Tesla has reportedly started hiring back some of the 500 employees who were laid off.