Tesla is planning to hire over 800 workers in the United States to fill various roles, from construction and manufacturing to artificial intelligence and robotics. This move comes roughly three months after the company initiated a significant round of layoffs.
In April, Tesla laid off thousands of employees across its global operations, impacting nearly every division. The layoffs affected about 14% of the company, or around 19,600 workers, according to CNBC. Several executives, including the senior director of human resources and the senior vice president of powertrain and energy, also left the company during this period. Following the layoffs, Tesla appeared to implement a hiring freeze, removing thousands of job listings at least twice.
CEO Elon Musk attributed the layoffs to the “duplication of roles and job functions in certain areas” due to Tesla’s rapid growth. Now, Tesla is gradually posting new job openings on its careers webpage, with at least 64 positions related to AI and robotics projects, including work on Tesla’s Optimus robots and Dojo supercomputer. Musk has projected that Tesla will spend “well over $1 billion” on Dojo, designed to process the massive data generated by the company’s electric vehicles.
Musk has also highlighted the potential market impact of Tesla’s Optimus robots, suggesting the product could add $20 trillion to the company’s market capitalization. These robots are not expected to be available for sale until the end of 2025, with a projected price between $20,000 and $30,000. By 2025, Musk anticipates having over 1,000 robots working at Tesla.
Additionally, at least 25 job listings on Tesla’s careers page are focused on Autopilot or self-driving technology development. Tesla aims to create an autonomous fleet of “robotaxis,” which Musk envisions as a major revenue source by combining elements of Airbnb and Uber, allowing owners to incorporate their cars into the service at their discretion. Tesla has delayed the unveiling of this technology to October, with Musk noting an “important design change to the front” and other features to be showcased.
Musk continues to assert that Tesla will achieve full self-driving autonomy, a promise he has made several times over the years without fruition. He has recently rebranded Tesla as an “AI/robotics and sustainable energy company,” moving beyond its identity as merely an electric vehicle manufacturer.
Tesla’s careers page also features numerous energy-related jobs and internships. The company reported its highest quarterly deployment of energy storage products at 9.4 gigawatt hours in the second quarter. The energy sector, often overlooked, may start to have a more substantial impact on Tesla’s 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.