Tesla is on a mass layoff rampage. The company not only announced a global workforce reduction of 10% last month but followed that up by dismissing almost its entire Supercharging team—the same team that laid the groundwork for Tesla’s success and established what is today the gold standard of EV charging in the U.S. and several other nations.
Here at InsideEVs, we have been speaking with a number of laid-off former Tesla employees. all week. But one employee has detailed on YouTube how he was dismissed.
Get in touch.
If you were impacted by Tesla’s layoffs, or have information to share, contact the author suvrat.kothari@insideevs.com from a safe, non-work device. We are happy to speak anonymously and securely.
Clad in a white Tesla-branded cap and a gray Nike t-shirt and sitting in his Model Y, Nico Murillo recalled his experience. The 29-year-old had been working at Tesla for five years. He started as a Production Associate in 2019 and was promoted to a Lead Production Associate and then a Production Supervisor.
At 4:30 a.m. on April 15, Murillo said he opened his laptop to a deactivated account. He thought it was an IT problem and got ready for work anyway. He then started his 90-minute commute to work, during which he usually checked his emails and listened to podcasts. He said he was able to check emails thanks to the Model Y’s Autopilot. (Note: This is not advisable; Autopilot and Full-Self Driving are driver assistance systems that require constant supervision and readiness to take control at all times.)
As he sifted through emails, he came across a message from Tesla, which read: “Unfortunately as a result, your position has been eliminated by this restructuring.” His manager confirmed the same for him. He reached the factory at 5:50 a.m. and tried to badge in. That’s when a security guard walked up to him, told him he was part of the layoffs and took his badge away. “I sat in my car in disbelief,” Murillo said.
Murillo seems to have sacrificed a lot for Tesla. Because the commute from home was so long, he sometimes slept in his Model Y on workdays in the factory lot. The demanding 13-hour shifts left him with little energy to return home, leading him to camp in his car, shower at the factory and microwave dinner in the break room. Now he’s out.
What’s next for him? He says the cost of living in California is exorbitant, which is why he will sell his house and furniture and begin living in his car. The video above is worth watching in full because it captures the essence and impact of Tesla’s layoffs and how they have uprooted the lives of so many employees.
If you, or anyone you know, were impacted by the Tesla layoffs, get in touch.
Contact the author: suvrat.kothari@insideevs.com
