Tesla is Cutting 9 Percent of its Workforce

In its latest salvo to improve profitability, Tesla has announced it will cut 9 percent of its workforce.

In an email sent to staff on Tuesday, accompanied by a tweet, Tesla CEO Elon Musk elaborated on the reasons for the move, which affected roughly 3,600 employees in salaried positions mostly belonging to engineering, sales, and executive positions.

No details were given on the savings the layoffs would achieve. However, Tesla’s stock price rose as high as 7 percent after the announcement.

In the email, layoff criteria were offered, based on the need for roles amidst a continuing flattening of Tesla’s management structure to “communicate better, eliminate bureaucracy, and move faster.”

Other items touched upon in Musk’s note include the end of its residential sales agreement with Home Depot, opting to incorporate it into Tesla online and off-line store sales while offering to deploy Home Depot employees in those locations.

This layoff also marks the first layoff since 2017, where 400 to 700 workers were let go based on annual performance reviews.

A version of this story originally appeared on Hybrid Cars.