Tesla slashes hundreds more Bay Area jobs as mass layoffs continue

Tesla is letting go of hundreds more Bay Area workers in its latest round of layoffs, according to a notice the company sent to state officials Monday.

The cuts are part of the Texas-based electric automaker’s ongoing efforts to slash 10% of its global workforce — which was roughly 140,000 people at the end of last year — as announced at the start of April.

The layoffs affect 601 workers at six of Tesla’s Bay Area facilities, 164 of whom work at the company’s plant at 45500 Fremont Blvd. in Fremont. More than 200 employees in Palo Alto are also set to lose their jobs.

The affected positions encompass a variety of roles, including technicians, production associates, engineers, electricians and athletic trainers.

Tesla — which was headquartered in Palo Alto until CEO Elon Musk relocated it to Austin, Texas, three years ago — didn’t respond to The Examiner’s request for comment Tuesday.

Rissa Royal, a Tesla human-resources manager, wrote to the California Employment Development Department indicating the latest job terminations will begin during a 14-day period beginning on June 20.

The latest cuts marked the fifth consecutive week of layoff notices from the company. Three weeks ago, Tesla announced plans to cut almost 3,000 Bay Area workers and more than 3,300 statewide. The layoffs added to the swath of cuts that have gutted the tech industry since 2023, including at Silicon Valley giants such as Google, Microsoft, Apple and Meta.

Tesla also recently pulled multiple job offers from prospective candidates, citing “changes to our hiring growth plans,” according to emails acquired by Business Insider. Several executives have also left the company.

“We believe it is extremely important to look at every aspect of the Company for cost reductions and increasing productivity,” Tesla officials wrote in a document filed to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission last month explaining its reasoning for the mass layoffs. “This action will prepare Tesla for our next phase of growth.”

Tesla previously said that its vehicle production and deliveries fell sharply in the first quarter of 2024 compared with the last quarter of 2023.