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More Layoffs At Tesla As Supercharger Team Gets The Axe
The Tesla rollercoaster party keeps going. After a massive round of layoffs, which saw over 10% of its workforce cut, more job losses are rocking the company. Shockingly, Tesla’s entire Supercharger team and other long-time executives have been eliminated, leading to whispers about the company’s future direction.
Significant figures have left Tesla in recent layoffs. Drew Baglino, who led the 4680 cell project and had been with the company for 18 years, was among the departures. Rebecca Tinnuci, the head of the Supercharging team who was responsible for negotiating the widespread adoption of the NACS plug standard across the EV industry, is also gone. These losses may raise serious questions about Tesla’s commitment to innovation and charging infrastructure.
Daniel Ho, who oversaw the Model S, Model 3, and Model Y programs, is also out, signalling trouble in Tesla’s new product development. Even Rohan Patel, who headed policy and business development, left at a critical time when Tesla faced legislative challenges and changing government support for EVs.
The Tesla Supercharger network, praised for reliability and convenience, was a significant selling point. Yet, at least on the face of the vents, the company appears to be stepping back from expansion plans just as competitors move in and billions in public funding become available. This perplexing move calls into question Tesla’s ambition to be the dominant EV ‘fueling’ provider.
CEO Elon Musk has emphasized headcount reduction, demanding cuts across departments. With more layoffs possible, morale at Tesla is undoubtedly taking a hit. The optics of these dismissals coming so soon after Musk’s massive $55 billion compensation request only fuel the controversy surrounding the company.
