• Tesla chief executive Elon Musk speaks during the opening day of the Tesla Gigafactory in Gruenheide, Germany. EPA
    Tesla chief executive Elon Musk speaks during the opening day of the Tesla Gigafactory in Gruenheide, Germany. EPA
  • Musk speaks next to German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and the prime minister of Brandenburg state, Dietmar Woidke, during the opening ceremony. AFP
    Musk speaks next to German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and the prime minister of Brandenburg state, Dietmar Woidke, during the opening ceremony. AFP
  • The Tesla chief, right, was cheered as he oversaw the handover of the car maker's first German-made cars at the Gruenheide plant. EPA
    The Tesla chief, right, was cheered as he oversaw the handover of the car maker's first German-made cars at the Gruenheide plant. EPA
  • Musk described the opening as "another step in the direction of a sustainable future". EPA
    Musk described the opening as "another step in the direction of a sustainable future". EPA
  • Tesla is likely to launch a test version of its new "full self-driving" software in Europe, possibly next year, the chief executive said. EPA
    Tesla is likely to launch a test version of its new "full self-driving" software in Europe, possibly next year, the chief executive said. EPA
  • Musk dances as he hands over the first Teslas from the new factory. Getty Images
    Musk dances as he hands over the first Teslas from the new factory. Getty Images
  • Musk said battery production will be a "challenge" next year and a "limiting factor" in the coming years. Reuters
    Musk said battery production will be a "challenge" next year and a "limiting factor" in the coming years. Reuters
  • Tesla cars are parked at the site of the new Tesla Gigafactory in Gruenheide, Germany. Reuters
    Tesla cars are parked at the site of the new Tesla Gigafactory in Gruenheide, Germany. Reuters
  • Tesla was handing over the first Model Y cars made at its €5 billion Gruenheide plant to clients on March 22, the company said. Getty Images
    Tesla was handing over the first Model Y cars made at its €5 billion Gruenheide plant to clients on March 22, the company said. Getty Images
  • The new Tesla Gigafactory is the company's first European production centre. Getty Images
    The new Tesla Gigafactory is the company's first European production centre. Getty Images
  • Newly completed Tesla Model Y electric cars parked at the site near Gruenheide. Getty Images
    Newly completed Tesla Model Y electric cars parked at the site near Gruenheide. Getty Images
  • The new factory is the largest investment in a German car factory in recent history. Getty Images
    The new factory is the largest investment in a German car factory in recent history. Getty Images
  • A road sign reading 'water protection area' next to the Tesla logo at the site of the Tesla factory. EPA
    A road sign reading 'water protection area' next to the Tesla logo at the site of the Tesla factory. EPA
  • A road sign reading 'Tesla Street' at the new plant. EPA
    A road sign reading 'Tesla Street' at the new plant. EPA
  • A building under construction at the Tesla factory. EPA
    A building under construction at the Tesla factory. EPA
  • At full capacity, the factory will produce 500,000 cars annually. EPA
    At full capacity, the factory will produce 500,000 cars annually. EPA
  • Tesla plans to hire 12,000 workers at the plant. Bloomberg
    Tesla plans to hire 12,000 workers at the plant. Bloomberg

Elon Musk tells Tesla executives to return to the office or leave the job


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The world’s richest man appears to have had it with employees working from home.

Elon Musk, chief executive of Tesla, waded into the return-to-office debate on Twitter by elaborating on an email he apparently sent on Tuesday to the electric car maker’s executive staff.

Under the subject line “Remote work is no longer acceptble” [sic], Mr Musk wrote that “anyone who wishes to do remote work must be in the office for a minimum (and I mean *minimum*) of 40 hours per week or depart Tesla. This is less than we ask of factory workers”.

Mr Musk went on to specify that the office “must be a main Tesla office, not a remote branch office unrelated to the job duties, for example being responsible for Fremont factory human relations, but having your office be in another state”.

While Mr Musk did not directly address whether the email was authentic, he strongly suggested it was by responding to a follower asking him to address people who think going into work is an antiquated concept. “They should pretend to work somewhere else,” he replied.

It is not the first time Mr Musk’s tough-love treatment of employees has come up.

About two weeks before Mr Musk reached a deal to acquire Twitter, Keith Rabois, a Silicon Valley venture capitalist and entrepreneur, tweeted an anecdote that speaks to his friend’s management style. At Space Exploration Technologies, Mr Musk once noticed a group of interns milling around while they queued for coffee.

Mr Musk viewed this as an affront to productivity. According to Mr Rabois, who knows Mr Musk from their days at PayPal Holdings, Mr Musk threatened to fire all the interns if it happened again and had security cameras installed to monitor compliance.

Mr Rabois wrote in April that employees at Twitter — one of the most prominent companies to allow permanent remote work — are “in for a rude awakening”. Mr Musk’s apparent email to Tesla’s executive staff suggests Twitter’s policy will change once he takes over.

The reference to Tesla factory workers is also interesting in light of the situation at the car maker’s plant in Shanghai.

Thousands of staff there have been effectively locked in for months, working 12-hour shifts, six days a week. Until recently, many were sleeping on the factory floor as part of a closed-loop system meant to keep Covid out and cars rolling off the production line.

Workers brought in to bring the factory back up to speed are being shuttled between the plant and their sleeping quarters — either disused factories or an old military camp — with day and night-shift workers sharing beds in makeshift dorms.

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Updated: June 01, 2022, 2:10 PM