The company is also taking further cost-cutting measures, according to another email from CEO Jia Yueting. Anyone who started working at Faraday after May 1st is on a mandatory furlough (unpaid leave) through at least December. Current and previous workers also note that salaried workers employed before May 1st will have to settle for $50,000 per year, while hourly workers who've been around for at least six months would have to accept minimum wage.

Sampson referenced the furloughs in his email, according to the report, warning that they would "basically shut down the company." That might just be true, assuming the report is accurate. It's easy to see many people quitting to get back to their old pay schemes, or even to make ends meet.

We've asked Faraday for comment. The move comes one day after senior technology VP Peter Savagian left the company, however, and leaves Jia Yueting as the only remaining founder. Provided the situation is as grim as it sounds, the automaker doesn't have many options unless it finds a savior with plenty of cash.

Update 4:06PM ET: Faraday Future has confirmed the departures of Sampson and Savagian as well as the furloughs, describing the unpaid leave as an "interim period" between November and December while it "vigorously" pursued funding. Employees will still get health care benefits, it said. You can read the full statement below.