Tesla Inc. is ramping up its hiring, looking to add nearly 800 new employees just three months after CEO Elon Musk implemented the largest round of layoffs in the company's history.
In recent weeks, job listings have steadily appeared on Tesla’s careers page, ranging from artificial intelligence specialists to routine service positions, as analyzed by Bloomberg. This hiring surge aligns with a significant rise in Tesla's stock, which has increased by over $223 billion in market value over the last 14 trading days. During this period, the stock rose consistently except for one session when Bloomberg reported a delay in unveiling Tesla's robotaxi prototypes. Musk confirmed on Monday that he had requested design changes, granting additional time to the teams working on the vehicle.
Although 800 jobs are far fewer than the thousands of positions Tesla eliminated this year, and publicly listed roles might not fully represent the company’s hiring activities, these new postings offer insight into Musk’s current priorities for the Austin-based company.
In May, Tesla's careers page showed only three job postings following the company's significant miss on vehicle sales expectations, the widest margin ever. This 20% sequential drop in quarterly deliveries led Musk to push for a proportional reduction in headcount, which Bloomberg reported could have resulted in the dismissal of approximately 28,000 of Tesla’s over 140,000 employees at the start of the year.
Currently, many job openings focus on AI and robotics, particularly for Tesla’s humanoid robot, Optimus. There are at least 25 positions related to self-driving development or Autopilot, and around 30 centered on Optimus. This reflects Tesla’s ongoing commitment to autonomy as it prepares to unveil the robotaxi prototypes in October.
The hiring spree also seems to target areas where Tesla may have overcut personnel, reflecting Musk’s vision for the company’s future. Musk has expressed that he now sees Tesla more as an AI, robotics, and sustainable energy company rather than solely an electric vehicle manufacturer.
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