Tesla Employees Shaken by '10% Layoff'... "Feels Like Squid Game"

Individual layoff notices via email every morning
"Expected to continue until June"

More than a month after U.S. electric vehicle company Tesla implemented large-scale layoffs, employees are still trembling with anxiety, not knowing when they might be fired, local media including Bloomberg reported on the 20th (local time).

According to sources cited by Bloomberg, inside Tesla, CEO Elon Musk announced last month a plan to reduce the workforce by more than 10%, and layoff notifications have continued for over a month. The sources predict that these layoffs will continue until June. Previously, Bloomberg had predicted that the scale of these layoffs would reach 20% of Tesla's total workforce.

[Image source=AFP Yonhap News]

In particular, Musk has not clearly signaled to employees that the downsizing process is over, and the fact that layoff notices are being sent every morning via email and messages to the affected individuals is intensifying the anxiety within the company.

Michael Minick, a former Tesla sales department employee who was laid off last month, wrote on the business networking site LinkedIn, "I felt like I was walking on thin ice every day, worrying whether I could pay bills and support my family," and added, "The remaining employees will only be able to breathe a sigh of relief once the uncertainty is resolved and they know they can fully focus on their work."

Bloomberg reported that "a Tesla employee described the current company atmosphere as similar to the TV series 'Squid Game,' which depicts people fighting for their lives amid economic hardship." Additionally, Tesla's 'Supercharger team,' responsible for charging infrastructure and recently disbanded after 500 employees were laid off, is reportedly suffering from significant work gaps.

Meanwhile, CEO Musk is focusing intensely on the Chinese market to find a breakthrough for Tesla's recent poor performance. Last month, he made a surprise visit to China, successfully completing various safety inspections and licensing agreements for the launch of Full Self-Driving (FSD). Reports also indicate that Tesla is pushing to build a data center in China for autonomous driving learning. On this day, Tesla's stock closed at $174.95, down 1.41% from the previous session on the New York Stock Exchange.