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'I'm thankful I was part of it': the Tesla workers who still believe in Elon Musk's vision despite being sacked

Elon Musk making a grimace and pointing a finger.
Elon Musk has told Tesla managers to stop recruiting. Frederic Brown/Getty Images

  • Tesla has been cutting jobs after Elon Musk said he had a "bad feeling" about the economy.
  • Workers say they are grateful to have worked for the company despite being let go.
  • One former senior employee said it had been an honor to work with so many talented people.
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Tesla has been cutting workers since CEO Elon Musk declared in June that he wanted to reduce the workforce by 10% but the reaction, in some cases, has been surprising. 

Insider has found a number of LinkedIn posts from Tesla employees praising their experience working on Musk's vision of an electric future - despite being laid off. 

Monier Ziain, who worked in the autopilot division, said in a post that it was an honor to work with so many talented people. Tesla laid off an estimated 200 workers in the division and closed an entire office in San Mateo, Calif.

She said: "During the past year and a half, I worked for a company where I genuinely believed in what we were doing. I felt a great sense of pride to work on a project that marks the beginning of future transportation and a full sense of pride in knowing we were the first."

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An engineer in the autopilot division wrote,  "it was the hardest, most time consuming, and most stressful work I've ever done, but I wouldn't trade the experience for anything", adding that working on the navigation system was one of his greatest achievements.

Some described their time as a journey like no other. Adam Ryding said he joined Tesla in 2016 when it only sold the Model S: "Some of us (the 10%) might be mad or frustrated, but I'm not. I'm thankful I was part of it, got to learn so many new things and I wish all of my former colleagues the best (no matter what)."

One Tesla data annotation specialist said in a post: "There is some magic that happens when working hard alongside good people in a tough situation. That magic manifests in various and sometimes unconventional ways. I saw it in our chat channels and shared jokes, trying to make light of difficult and tedious work."

Another former employee said of her colleagues: "They are artistic, they have sharp eyes, they are emotionally intelligent, and made even the slowest days at work enjoyable because they are good, kind people who look out for each other and know how to keep morale up."

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Aaron Mendoza even said that his layoff "is just a blessing in disguise" that will allow him to enter a field more "suited to my interests and skillset."

Not all are praising Tesla however. A former XR developer said he believes there were "a lot of systemic issues at play here."

Meanwhile, Insider also found a number of recent posts from new Tesla joiners despite Musk asking executives to pause hiring worldwide.  

Tesla Elon Musk Layoffs
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