Guest essay by Eric Worrall

h/t Breitbart – According to The Guardian, Tesla’s recent layoffs include an entire quality control department.

‘How do they expect to run without us?’ Tesla accused of axing key staff to cut costs

Electric car firm slashed 7% of workforce this month and ex-employees say more experienced staff were targeted

Alan Ochoa worked at Tesla’s Fremont plant in California for four years. He was laid off recently along with his entire department in quality control, many of whom were also long-time employees. “I have no idea how they expect to run without us,” said Ochoa.

The electric car company releases its latest financial results on Wednesday and analysts are not expecting good news. On 18 January, founder Elon Musk sent out a mass email to employees announcing 7% of the company’s workforce were being laid off, in addition to cuts to temporary and contracted employees, and warning of a “very difficult” road ahead.

Ochoa predicts Tesla’s “difficult road” will not be helped by laying off experienced staff.

He said: “My last repair on Friday was finding a rear fascia was missing a screw so if you pulled on it, it would pop out. I grabbed a drill, the screw, got down on my knees and made the repair myself. No one would have known about it unless they tugged on the edges of the rear fascia like I had made it a habit to do.

“But I know once the car starts driving it would become unseated due to the wind pulling it out.”

…

Tesla has suffered quality control setbacks in the past and workers fear those issues may be worsened by the cuts. Ochoa explained he was making several dozen repairs a day on quality control, depending on what line he was on.

He said: “I fear the quality will be greatly diminished. Not all of my repairs were easy to see but would have a lasting effect.”