Indian techie gets laid off from Telsa after getting promoted a month ago; Brother shares 'cold email' from Elon Musk

Tesla, the electric vehicle giant led by Elon Musk, has recently faced scrutiny for its layoffs, particularly after promoting employees just weeks before. In April 2024, Tesla initiated a series of layoffs, affecting as many as 21,473 employees across 50 companies in the technology sector. This move came as Tesla sought to reduce its overall workforce by approximately 10%.

Among those affected was an Indian techie who had dedicated seven years to the company. Just a month prior, she had received a promotion and was looking forward to relocating from New Jersey to Washington DC. However, her hopes were shattered when she received a "cold email" from Tesla, informing her of the termination of her position due to restructuring.

The techie's brother, Jatin Saini, shared the story on LinkedIn, expressing shock at the lack of transparency and empathy in the process. He highlighted the emotional toll on his sister, who felt like an outsider after years of dedication to the company. Saini questioned Tesla's approach to layoffs, advocating for a more decisive strategy rather than a series of smaller layoffs.


In his post, Saini shared screenshots of the "cold email" his sister received from Tesla. He said that his sister had dedicated seven years of her life working at Elon Musk's company, only to be unexpectedly laid off last Friday. "Unfortunately as a result, your position has been eliminated by this restructuring," the email read.

In his post, Saini informed that just a month prior, his sister had been celebrating promotion and was excited to relocate from New Jersey to Washington DC. However, on May 3, 2024, her hopes were dashed when she discovered her office access card had been deactivated upon her arrival.

"She is not alone. On 15th April, Tesla laid-off 16,000 employees. Then 15 days later, they laid-off another 500 employees. 2 days ago, she also got the email along with 75% of her team," Saini wrote.

"She's been with Tesla for over half a decade and to find out like this...When you can't enter your own office; Your entire team is down and out; Your ID card is thrown away," he said, adding, "They made her feel like an outsider with just 1 email".

In his post, Saini questioned the lack of transparency, empathy and consideration throughout the process. He believes that when it comes to layoffs, "the principle of 'cutting once and cutting deep' makes more sense than a series of smaller layoffs".

"It's a clear reminder of the cost behind corporate decisions," Saini concluded.

Tesla's layoffs come amid challenges in sales and competition, with the company facing pressure to maintain its position in the electric vehicle market. Despite these setbacks, Tesla's shares saw a 1.97% gain on 7 May, reaching USD 184.76.