The Tesla Supercharger team is no more after Elon Musk, like a spoiled child, scattered his toys because Tesla Supercharger chief Rebecca Tinucci refused to fire people fast enough. To prove his point, Musk fired Tinucci and her entire team because he had gotten away with doing this before. However, this time, disbanding the Supercharger team will have dire consequences for Tesla and the automotive industry.
Elon Musk was a visionary man with a head full of crazy ideas and a stubbornness to prove that nothing is impossible. He showed that electric vehicles can be successful, making the Tesla Model Y the best-selling car in the world. He proved that satellite internet can be just as good as broadband landlines and that reusable rockets are not just a pipe dream. He also proved that brain implants work and that the sun can provide enough energy to power the planet.
Of course, not everything Elon Musk promised has become reality. Autonomous driving, one of Elon Musk's biggest unfulfilled promises, is one of them. But just because it's not here yet, it doesn't mean it's impossible because Musk proved time and again that "impossible" is just a state of mind. Everything Musk achieved was possible because he always had a plan on how to make it possible.
He knew that in order to make electric cars desirable, there had to be enough charging stations. This is why Tesla launched its Supercharger network at the same time the Model S entered production in 2012. Tesla put a lot of effort (and money) into expanding the Supercharger network and turning it into the most extensive and reliable fast-charging network in the world. This helped not only Tesla sales but also EV adoption, as people saw that long trips were possible, thanks to the ubiquity of the Superchargers.
However, things have changed after Elon Musk acquired Twitter in 2022. The man with a vision appeared to have lost his vision in the catacombs of his social media network. Musk became increasingly distracted and detached from reality, fanning conspiracy theories instead of focusing on his companies. Apart from this, he made rushed decisions that he had to revert later after being "talked into" by the people who were still able to get to him.
Photo: Tesla
Elon Musk was no longer the genius engineer spending nights on the factory floor to solve difficult production issues. He instead became the spoiled brat spending nights shitposting on X. His latest tantrum had the entire Tesla Supercharger team wiped out after its leader, Rebecca Tinucci, refused to fire the people to meet the quota Musk wanted. This is just the latest in a long string of controversial decisions that Musk made over the past two years.
Watching this unfolding in real time was like watching Hyde taking over Jekyll. The change was not immediate, but it led to much wasted time and delayed projects at Tesla. The Cybertruck is probably the best example, but it wasn't the only one, with the Tesla Semi, Roadster, and the affordable EV project also being pushed back and forth at Musk's whims. It's no wonder Tesla's shares have been on a downward trend from the all-time high ($407) in October 2021.
Don't get me wrong, Tesla is still one of the greatest companies in the world, employing some of the brightest minds the world has. But this is not guaranteed to last if the company's CEO has lost touch with reality. Tesla Supercharger was one of the most successful divisions inside Tesla and one of its important profit centers. It also had a bright future, as other carmakers were onboarded as part of the NACS deal. However, it was wiped out in the blink of an eye because Musk wanted to teach the Supercharger chief Rebecca Tinucci a lesson. Tinucci's mistake? Not wanting to fire enough of her team members.
There are many implications of this move, some so big that they could affect not only Tesla but also EV adoption and the automotive industry as a whole. With a swift move, Musk proved that he doesn't give a damn about Tesla's mission, saving the planet, or other noble ideals he included in his famous master plans. He only cares about his ego and is willing to burn everything around him for that.
Photo: Ford
Although not immediately, Tesla owners will be among those affected the most. Firing the entire Supercharger team means that only advanced projects will be completed. Tesla won't be able to work on new sites, and new projects won't be possible. Reports have already shown that Tesla has started backing out of leases for new Supercharger sites. This means that Tesla owners will soon find many busy Superchargers, while underserved areas will not get new charging stations. Elon Musk admitted that Supercharger expansion to new locations will slow down.
And because most Supercharger sites are on rented terrain and payments were made mostly manually, don't be surprised to see blocked Superchargers because Tesla failed to pay the rent. This is made worse because, even if the hosts try to reach their contacts at Tesla, there will be no one at the other end of the line. Nobody takes the call, and emails bounce back because their contacts are gone.
Elon Musk's fans dismissed this, saying this was a genius move that allowed Tesla to better utilize its existing capacity. At the same time, Tesla will not spend time expanding the charging network and will let others do this. Genius as it is, this also means that Tesla will lose the initiative and important revenues in the long run. Tesla Supercharger brought important benefits to Tesla, including acting as free advertising for its electric vehicles.
Tesla will also be affected because it will see a once-profitable business shrink if not wiped out in the long run. Right now, there's no one to run the ship, meaning nothing is happening. No one is negotiating lease agreements, dealing with permitting, or paying contractors. And this will not change until someone competent will be put in charge.
Without a Supercharger team, Tesla's contractors building the charging stations will be thrown to the wolves. These are small businesses that will be wiped out without warning by Musk's hasty move. Not only contractors but also fellow carmakers are left in the dark. All carmakers that adhered to the NACS standard and expected access to Tesla Superchargers are now wondering what's going on.
Photo: Ford
According to a Bloomberg report, Musk's decision left at least one carmaker, Rivian, "confused and concerned." Not only Rivian but also Ford, GM, and everyone else have lost their point of contact at Tesla shortly before the busy summer season kicked in. Thankfully, reports show that the layoffs did not affect Tesla Supercharger repair/maintenance teams. This means that existing chargers will remain operational, as Musk promised to focus on 100% uptime.
Uptime is important, but so are new Supercharger sites. Elon Musk promised to still add Superchargers "anywhere there are gaps." However, without people who know how to do this, it's difficult to imagine how this will work out. Tesla lost valuable know-how by firing all the people in the Supercharger division. Companies acquire other businesses to get access to this specialized knowledge. By firing the entire team, Elon Musk destroyed a lot of value at Tesla. It will take years to build a new team with similar expertise.
What's more disconcerting is that Elon Musk responded to the whole Supercharger drama similar to how he reacted to the news that Tesla's $25,000 EV project was canceled. He shot the messengers by unfollowing their X accounts, saying he could not follow people who leaked confidential information. It didn't matter to the free speech absolutist that the information was already public then.
Also, just like with the affordable EV cancelation, Musk announced an upcoming Supercharger event on September 24. "It will feel like alien spaceships landed at highway rest stops," he promised, although it's unclear what he meant. When the news of the canceled $25,000 EV got out, Musk announced that Tesla would unveil a robotaxi on August 8. At this point, I have a better solution than firing 14,000 employees to save some money: save billions by firing only one: Elon Musk.
Ah yes. You still plan on building out the Supercharger network, all the while firing every single member of the SC Dev team, essentially grinding all progress (expansion or not) to a full on standstill.
After his childhood dream of becoming a "tractor operator" didn't pan out, Cristian turned to journalism, first in print and later moving to online media. His top interests are electric vehicles and new energy solutions. Full profile
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