Is Elon thinking of REHIRING some of the fired SuperCharging folks

[Dear_OP]

That is the single best way to evaluate a position.
He determined the parameters of what he needed had changed. So he adapted to that.
She got a full year severance! So every week prior to a year that she worked elsewhere, she was essentially getting paid twice!
After basically working/on-call 24/7 for a decade, she's got to be relieved to be doing something else.
Again, everyone gets hung up on how Elon operates, but anyone who actually works for him are not surprised. Whether you agree with it or not, that's the culture he has cultivated, and it's not a secret before you take a position.

I imagine the assistant would have all sorts of book deals.

 

[ChooseFreedom]

I imagine the assistant would have all sorts of book deals.

Nah, but I can picture the book-like stack of non-compete/proprietary clause/agreements she had to sign to get that severance/stock.

 

[Andy B]

I honestly worry about the where the board of directors are in this company? Why do they let decisions like firing an entire team from top to bottom, be made in the first place? Let alone one of Tesla's few remaining USPs. They are derelict in their duties and should all be replaced.

 

[ChooseFreedom]

I honestly worry about the where the board of directors are in this company? Why do they let decisions like firing an entire team from top to bottom, be made in the first place? Let alone one of Tesla's few remaining USPs. They are derelict in their duties and should all be replaced.

You'd be replacing a bunch of brown-nosing YES men, with a new bunch of brown-nosing YES men.

 

[KerrySkates]

Is Elon Thinking?

FTFY

I don’t know if I’d want to return to a company that just laid me off in this manner and who could use me until they get what they want out of me then throw me back out on the street any instant because I still wasn’t “hardcore” enough, the company needed to make more cuts, the CEO had another mental break or whatever the case might be.

 

[Seattle]

I believe that Elon took a hard look at their Supercharger crew and decided they were moving in the wrong direction. Felt it would be better for the company to start over, with a clean sheet. In other cases he has moved people around, fired the poor performing or replaced key staff.
Why does everyone second guess every thing he says and does in a negative light.

Is there any support for that view? He fired the most important infrastructure team in the entire EV industry. Everything was working well, except the v4 rollout was going slow. There was nothing really broken. A possibly supportable view would be if you decided the team was broken, but you didn't want to destroy the many agreements you had going with other car companies, people building infrastructure, etc, continue the agreements that would make your supercharger network an almost permanent gas station for the EV world, would be something like

• tell your partners you are making a big change in the supercharger team
• tell the people building the chargers to go ahead or stop as desired
• figure out what part of the supercharger team you want to keep
• start making some changes
• assure your partners all is continuing well

Instead we have this abrupt firing of the entire org, laughable email responses, people getting "blah does work here anymore email, try [email protected]". Then foo email bounces, says talk to bar, multiple levels. There's extreme confusion all around, and then official communications from tesla that say "don't start any new jobs unless you started digging up the ground. If you are digging, keep going. ALL IS WELL!". This is not a well organized or reasoned behavior pattern. I don't know if it could have been done more destructively.

 

[CuriousWren]

That was such a stupid and useless article. This post from OP is equally useless. It offers zero proof, no new info, and is literally just an opinion piece.

 

[mborkow]

Is there any support for that view?

None at all…it’s just fanboy fantasy land.

 

[fholbert]

If I was one of those that got unceremoniously fired via an impersonal email and then received an offer to be rehired, I'd have to think real hard about accepting. Double my previous pay rate and a boatload of stock might entice me back but I'd still be putting feelers out for a job elsewhere.

Been there, done that.

In my case it was over a pay raise, half of 1%, I gave my notice the next morning. By the end of the day it 10% but I was already pissed and very clearly told them that.

Best part, later it cost my boss his job.

 

[Watts_Up]

What about the Service Centers, is there any drastic cuts?

I hope not, customer support is one of the weak point of Tesla, IMO.
The one near my home is even open on weekend.

 

[Joey D]

This is how Elon operates. Nothing new. "If you don't add back some parts...you didn't cut enough in the first place." This goes for people as well as processes and physical parts.

Most companies will "trim staff selectively".

Elon will "slice drastically."

Both approaches have pros and cons.

The major Con on "trimming selectively" is that it takes longer...and you end up with still more fat than needed.

The major con of "trimming drastically" is that you trim too much, and will need to try and re-hire those that are truly productive.

 

[Nick_Oh]

Is there any support for that view? He fired the most important infrastructure team in the entire EV industry. Everything was working well, except the v4 rollout was going slow. There was nothing really broken. A possibly supportable view would be if you decided the team was broken, but you didn't want to destroy the many agreements you had going with other car companies, people building infrastructure, etc, continue the agreements that would make your supercharger network an almost permanent gas station for the EV world, would be something like

• tell your partners you are making a big change in the supercharger team
• tell the people building the chargers to go ahead or stop as desired
• figure out what part of the supercharger team you want to keep
• start making some changes
• assure your partners all is continuing well

Instead we have this abrupt firing of the entire org, laughable email responses, people getting "blah does work here anymore email, try [email protected]". Then foo email bounces, says talk to bar, multiple levels. There's extreme confusion all around, and then official communications from tesla that say "don't start any new jobs unless you started digging up the ground. If you are digging, keep going. ALL IS WELL!". This is not a well organized or reasoned behavior pattern. I don't know if it could have been done more destructively.

Adding to this--according to public reporting--that team was primarly responsible for planning & logistics for new supercharger locations. Interfacing with a cobweb of private and public landowners, local governments, utility companies, and more. That means lots of relationships that had to be painfully built over time.

Axing low performers is one thing, but axing the entire org, including those senior folks with deep networks who can call favors and cut thru red tape... that jumped out at me.

For those who've interfaced with big corporate or gov't entities--getting those guys to move fast takes years of relationship building. That's all poof unless he's got a crack team that can step in and fill the void until everything stabilizes.

Then again, maybe they've figured out a really streamlined process for getting superchargers approved and constructed. One that is less reliant on said relationships. Or maybe the permitting/construction environment is more streamlined than I'm assuming. Who knows.

Either way, any corporation that does a drastic move like this will invite lots of scrutiny, and deservedly so (even if they made the right call). That pushback a good thing IMO. For a company like Tesla, they need that public and fierce feedback loop to keep things from going too far off the rails.

 

[mswlogo]

For all the people saying they wouldn’t accept an offer to be rehired, I don’t think you are being realistic. It takes (4) years to build up your equity position at a tech company based on annual stock grants that vest over that amount of time. Even if you get an equivalent job with another company, you’ll be making a lot less money until you have that built up. It also isn’t that easy to find another job these days. Most of my friends who were laid off earlier this year are still looking (even some really talented ones). If I was laid off and my former employer approached me about being rehired I’d insist that all my equity and seniority be restored with the rehire and then thank them for the opportunity. I might keep looking for a new job but no way I’d thumb my nose at being restored to my previous position and unless you happen to be independently wealthy I am guessing most of you wouldn’t either.

That’s not how the vesting works at a lot of tech companies. I vest 1/16 every quarter. And they refresh every year depending on performance. And competition will compete with counter offers you have on the table with more RSU’s and bonuses if you are worth it. So there is no magic date. You are always walking away from about 4 years unvested stock no matter when you leave.

 

[mborkow]

That’s not how the vesting works at a lot of tech companies. I vest 1/16 every quarter. And they refresh every year depending on performance. And competition will compete with counter offers you have on the table with more RSU’s and bonuses if you are worth it. So there is no magic date. You are always walking away from about 4 years unvested stock no matter when you leave.

Thanks, you just explained my point: 1/16 a quarter is four (4) years to vest. That means it takes 4 years of grants to build up your equity…do the math (it’s not hard)

 

[ThomasD]

Wouldn't Musk need approval from the Board for all these layoffs?

 

[Electric700]

I would love to see those Supercharger people rehired, and others at Tesla too. They are experts and can help to launch the next generation V5 Superchargers too.

 

[DrChaos]

The major con of "trimming drastically" is that you trim too much, and will need to try and re-hire those that are truly productive.

And you don't know which ones really were truly productive and needed because you fired their supervisors too.

And all the best ones with more options go to other employers. And the worst ones who are able to lie the most convincingly work to get re-hired.

And there's mass chaos and lack of productivity for months as nobody knows the roles or org structure and hiring and re-on boarding takes so much more time. Even 5% hiring rate can take up lots of time and decrease productivity. what does a 50-100% rate do?

So there's many reasons why no sane managers do what Musk does. Musk has never worked in an environment as an employee successfully and doesn't distinguish good from bad management. He manages like a video game: "ugh going to restart my character with a new build" and doesn't understand people at all (like many autistics) and doesn't give a *sugar* about that problem (unlike autistics).

 

[mborkow]

Wouldn't Musk need approval from the Board for all these layoffs?

Some options:
- he didn’t need it
- he needed it and had it
- he needed it but knew the BoD was so beholden to him they’d never enforce their own statutes

I’d guess it’s the last one

 

[Joey D]

And you don't know which ones really were truly productive and needed because you fired their supervisors too....

Disagree.

Sometimes, the most efficient way of truly determining who the actual productive contributors are, is to let everyone go. Supervisors obfuscate.

Don't get me wrong...once you let them go (and then find out who the actual contributors are), there's still a great risk that you won't be able to get them back.

It's chaotic, and there are other downsides as you pointed out.

But if you want a return to a lean, "start up mentality team", then this is often the only way.

So there's many reasons why no sane managers do what Musk does.....

True. And there's reasons why Musk's companies tend to retain the "startup mentality" culture that the "sane" managers can not replicate.

Again...pros and cons to different approaches.

 

[Joey D]

What do you disagree with @mborkow ? I said there are pros and cons to Musk's approach.