According to a recent report, Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla, fired nearly all of the company’s 500-member supercharger vehicle charging team following a heated argument with a top executive. Rebecca Tinucci, the executive in charge of the supercharger team, reportedly made the worst mistake a Musk employee can make — standing up to Elon and telling him he is wrong.
Breitbart News recently reported that Tesla has begun reinstating some of the nearly 500 employees from its Supercharging team who were laid off in late April, a massive U-turn after Musk was criticized for decimating the company’s supercharger plans.
Elon Musk’s Halloween costume (Taylor Hill /Getty)
Connecticut Tesla still burning (Stamford Fire Department)
Now, Reuters reports that according to anonymous company sources, the mass layoffs came after a meeting between Musk and Rebecca Tinucci, the charging chief. During the meeting, Tinucci reportedly pushed back against Musk’s calls for significant cuts to the charging team, leading to a disagreement between the two.
In response to the pushback, Musk allegedly ordered the mass firings, which are part of a larger round of layoffs at the electric vehicle company as it grapples with declining profits and increased competition in the market.
Since then, the exact number of rehired Supercharger workers remains undisclosed, and both Musk and other executives have not responded to requests for comment. One of the most notable rehires is Max de Zegher, the director of charging for North America, according to insider sources who requested anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the information.
De Zegher was a top manager in the charging group, second only to Rebecca Tinucci, the senior director who was dismissed by Musk along with virtually the entire team.
Tesla’s Supercharger network, which has been a key selling point for the company, boasts over 6,200 rapid charging stations worldwide. The extensive network was developed over a decade of investment and has been instrumental in reassuring customers that they can enjoy the same level of convenience and accessibility as conventional refueling infrastructure for gasoline-powered vehicles.
The cuts to the Supercharger team could potentially jeopardize the company’s broader plans. Numerous automakers have entered into agreements to make their electric vehicles compatible with the Supercharger network, with these agreements set to come into effect this year. The mass firings have raised concerns about the future of these partnerships and the overall expansion of the charging network.
Despite the layoffs, Elon Musk recently stated in a post on X (formerly Twitter) that Tesla would continue to invest in the Supercharger network. He wrote, “Tesla will spend well over $500M expanding our Supercharger network to create thousands of NEW chargers this year. That’s just on new sites and expansions, not counting operations costs, which are much higher.”
However, company insiders who spoke to Reuters revealed that contractors and municipal governments who had made long-term plans based on the Supercharger network were frustrated with the firings. A former employee expressed their disappointment, stating, “It’s just unfortunate that now they’re stuck holding the bag on all these different projects. It’s really sad to see all these relationships burned and people be really angry — rightfully so.”
Read more at Reuters here.
Lucas Nolan is a reporter for Breitbart News covering issues of free speech and online censorship.
