In addition to the charging team, Tesla's public policy team is also being dissolved. The policy team was instrumental in securing around 13% of funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and was pursuing a nearly $100 million federal grant for a charging corridor for Tesla's electric big rig. These layoffs follow a 10% workforce reduction announced two weeks ago and come after a challenging first quarter for Tesla, which saw a 55% drop in profits due to weaker EV sales.
Key takeaways:
- Tesla has made significant layoffs in its charging team, including senior director of EV charging Rebecca Tinucci and head of new vehicles Daniel Ho, despite its recent success in making its connector the standard in North America.
- CEO Elon Musk has indicated that the company may slow its expansion of the Supercharger network and is also dissolving Tesla’s public policy team.
- The layoffs come after a difficult first quarter for Tesla, with profits dropping 55% due to weaker EV sales.
- Musk has also threatened to develop AI technology at his startup xAI unless he is given more control over Tesla, while the company's board is trying to reinstate his $56 billion pay package.