Tesla and xAI Staff Are Fleeing as Musk Becomes Increasingly Erratic

At two of Elon Musk's high-profile companies, ruthless demands, chaotic decision-making, and deteriorating public image are driving away senior leaders and rank and file talent, many of whom are fleeing to Musk’s biggest rivals, new reporting from the Financial Times shows. “The one constant in Elon’s world is how quickly he burns through deputies,” a Musk adviser told the FT. “Even the board jokes, there’s time and then there’s ‘Tesla time.’ It’s a 24/7 campaign-style work ethos. Not everyone is cut out for that.” Just take two examples of senior xAI executives. Chief Financial Officer Mike Liberatore left for archrival OpenAI after just three months, claiming he’d been working more than 120 hours per week. General Counsel Robert Keele lasted just 16 months in his role before resigning and lamenting publicly that, “I love my two toddlers and I don’t get to see them enough.”

Sureeeee thing there guys! One trillion pay package for musk coming soon

Tesla the car company? Total dumpster fire. Tesla *the stock?* Never been better!

Tesla has been surviving on new grads and a handfull of well-RSU'd managers for the last 5-7 years, I think those RSU's have vested (and you can sell outside of blackout if you quit). Imagine also, if you had several $Million in stocks that you couldn't sell because of a blackout window - but if you quit you can sell them now at what might be an all-time-high. If those stocks go back down to 300, you could be out 5x-10x your salary.

One day they will be introduced to each other. It will be interesting.

They will just rehire new staff

downfall when?

Easier to manipulate stock when you have fired all those who could prosecute in the name of DOGE

When both the CFO and general counsel are quitting you have to suspect that something bad is going on. Examples: WeWork, FTX, Tyco, Nikola (ironic, that one).

Which goes to show how much Musk actually wants to see *his own* children if he forcing others to work ridiculous hours.

“The one constant in Elon’s world is how quickly he burns through deputies,” a Musk adviser told the paper. “Even the board jokes, there’s time and then there’s ‘Tesla time.’ It’s a 24/7 campaign-style work ethos. Not everyone is cut out for that.” It's also completely unnecessary for anyone to be on the grind like this. Doubly so for an established business. This management style and work environment is counterproductive at best and self-destructive in the end.

Most tech companies issue new RSUs every year to keep the golden handcuffs stable.

I know, but they do add up - and if you had a particularly good bonus year 2-3 years ago you might have a big batch you'd like to cash in if you think the stock is peak and you have an exit plan. It's not like it's a particularly nice company to work for.

That's always a sign to watch. Churn in CFOs always means money problems, and frequently fraud.

What else did you expect from a coked out CEO? Take another k-bomb my dude and roll on

i mean just look at Musk. he works so hard that he brought his kid to work and let him play at his pedophile boss' desk. that's a work ethic!!

[removed]

Goodness. Tyco. There's a blast from the past. The sad thing is, the bad companies these days are infinitely more greedy, to the point that Tyco looks like child's play.

I’m waiting to see what will happen when the EV tax credit expires and how it affects Tesla. Also Trump stooge Howard Lutnick has been pushing Tesla stock publicly. A pump and dump could be in the cards there

It has expired.

But they’re ~~issued~~ awarded at current_value/current_price, so they get fewer shares. The early ones in made bank; new hires - tough luck Edit: wording

Are you sure they don't get a share count when it's awarded based of the price at that time, then the share count vests over the period and gets issued at the current price?

This is all working according to Technoking's Master Plan. As each and every hour passes, our once in a generation First Principles Rocket Landing gigabrain is syphoning up information at an exponential S-curve rate. As a result, Elon's magic wand grows more powerful, and fewer and fewer employees are needed over time. Eventually, he great and powerful Elon and Elon alone will stand at the helm of all his X companies, with no employees whatsoever. Musk will build cars, build fart apps, program the entire world's AI, part seas and slay enemies with nothing but his powerful gaze and a 20 billion strong army of poverty ending robots with thigh gaps. Ultimately, Technoking's power will be so boundless that he will become able to bestow unto us: Rain Sensing Wipers.

It has affected Tesla, sales are through the floor.in Europe 40% down YOY for July (the latest figures) I don't think anyone can come back from that, particularly as BYD surges and opens it's Hungarian factory. The stock is a different matter, I keep saying it's just a matter of time, but it still jeeps going up, so what do I know!

So stock go up again 🤷

Who would have thought people don't like to work for a crazy douchebaggery fuck tard money grab greedy mother fucker like Elon Musk

Exactly, for those people to have gotten that high in their career, they’re typically workaholics and used to long working hours and grueling schedules. So barring some big life changing event that has changed their entire career and life perspective, they’re leaving because they know their ass is on the line if they stay.

This is all accurate.

R/noshitsherlock

Tesla is not an established business, not at that valuation. It's a startup making a sports car with a rocket engine, a robot that will replace all workers on earth, and self driving cars that cost 1/5th of Waymos to make and are better (don't need maps, work on highways). I'm not joking, I don't believe it, but I'm not joking.

"because of a blackout window" I don't know Tesla's practices specifically, but at MSFT I can sell my stocks anytime. Unless you have significant visibility on how the company as a whole is doing financially you shouldn't be restricted. And majority of engineers have no clue about that. Also it doesn't really matter, even if you are restricted you still have a selling window every quarter anyway, not a big deal.

"yahso it wasnt so much the nazi salute as the erratic behaviour that told me i needed get out' fuck em.

He probably doesn’t see little AlphabetSoup much now that he doesn’t need the living body armor.

Yeah but it expired a week ago, gonna take some time for us to get new sales numbers.

Some "cooking" going on . . . .

All the tech companies I’ve worked have had a blackout for all engineers (two FAANG and a just-before-IPO startup). The explanation one gave was that since they practiced essentially no information compartmentalization on the technical side, even if my normal course of work didn’t come across material NPI I could look up things like usage trends that would probably proxy revenue well enough to gain an advantage.

Most do — but most companies also don’t force through a 1 Trillion (with a T) pay package for their CEO though. Daddy has to be paid somehow.

Tesla had a blackout period but removed it several years ago to my knowledge

Like when matter meets anti-matter?

Nutlick...

No worries. Big Balls will take care of back end single handidly- from prison

No they don't, usually you're assigned like xxx shares over 36 month and you get xxx/36 shares every month.

So in a nutshell, they restrain the possibility of insider trading to the top shots.

Aka The ketamine queen

Tesla self driving cars are worse than Waymo’s. Robot that will replace all workers? Based on what evidence? Wishful thinking? Boston Dynamics is in the lead already. You are not joking but you are living in assumptions and predictions, not current facts and evidence.

Buying stocks is done based in assumptions and predictions. By the way I did say I don't believe Elon, I think Tesla is full of crap. But that's what the valuation is based on, not their established business of barely making a profit making the worst electric car.

That's why he wants H1-Bs. It's very hard for H1-Bs to find another job because the other company has to be willing to sponsor them.

How I wish my car was $500 more expensive but included the same Bosch rain sensor that the rest of the world uses

“Even the board jokes, there’s time and then there’s ‘Tesla time.’ It’s a 24/7 campaign-style work ethos. Not everyone is cut out for that.” That's fucking perfect. It's 24/7 always on, grindcore mindset, go go go....yet Tesla never seems to get anything meaningful done.

The top execs are directly restricted by SEC rules and disclosures. Much stricter.

I heard this theory

Nope, they did not remove it. They still have regular quarterly black out periods where they close the employee trading window. They are currently in a black out period. It started Sept 16th and will end the day after they have the quarterly earnings call (Oct.22) Source: I’m a Tesla employee who is frustrated I can’t sell some of my stock.