Tesla is set to hire over 800 workers in the U.S., covering roles in construction, manufacturing, artificial intelligence, and robotics, just three months after implementing mass layoffs.
In April, Tesla began laying off thousands of employees across its global operations, affecting nearly every division. This included the departure of at least six top executives, among them the senior director of human resources and the senior vice president of powertrain and energy.
Approximately 14% of the company, or around 19,600 workers, were laid off according to CNBC. Tesla also appeared to impose a hiring freeze, removing thousands of job postings multiple times since the layoffs.
“With Tesla’s rapid growth, there has been duplication of roles and job functions in certain areas,” CEO Elon Musk communicated to employees regarding the job cuts.
Now, it seems the company is eager to recruit new talent. Over the past few weeks, new positions have been posted on Tesla’s careers webpage, as first reported by Bloomberg News.
At least 64 positions are linked to AI and robotics projects, including Tesla’s Optimus robots and Dojo supercomputer. Musk has indicated that Tesla will invest “well over $1 billion” in Dojo to process the substantial data collected by its electric vehicles.
Musk has highlighted the potential impact of Tesla’s Optimus robots on the company’s value, suggesting they could add $20 trillion to the market capitalization. These robots are expected to be available by the end of 2025, selling for between $20,000 and $30,000. Musk anticipates that more than 1,000 robots will be operational at Tesla in 2025.
Tesla’s careers page lists at least 25 jobs related to Autopilot and self-driving technology development. An autonomous fleet of Tesla “robotaxis” is projected to be a significant revenue driver, with Musk envisioning a service akin to a combination of Airbnb and Uber, where owners can choose to include their cars.
However, Tesla has postponed the release of this technology by two months, now planning a product demonstration in October. Musk stated on Monday that he requested a “significant design change to the front,” and the extra time will allow Tesla to showcase “a few other things.”
These plans align with Musk’s long-standing belief that Tesla will achieve full self-driving autonomy, a promise he has made repeatedly over the years without fulfillment. Recently, he has described Tesla as an “AI/robotics and sustainable energy company,” rather than just an electric vehicle manufacturer.
The careers page also features numerous energy-related jobs and internships. In its recent second-quarter delivery report, Tesla announced hitting its highest quarterly deployment of energy storage products, totaling 9.4 gigawatt hours. This often overlooked segment of the company may start to have a more significant impact on earnings and stock performance.
“We believe investors will begin to pay more attention to Tesla Energy, which we value at $36 per Tesla share ($130bn), as the business is uniquely positioned to benefit from investment in the US electric grid accelerated by the AI boom,” wrote Morgan Stanley analyst Adam Jonas earlier this month.