Tesla’s largest-ever job cuts have impacted an estimated 20,000 employees worldwide. Among this global talent pool, many are interns. Just as they began what they thought was a promising opportunity in a burgeoning electric vehicle industry, they were dismissed. Now, General Motors hopes to seize the opportunity by nurturing them under its umbrella.
Former Apple Recruiting Manager and GM's current Talent Sourcing Strategist Laura Del Amo posted on LinkedIn that the Detroit automaker was keen to provide laid-off Tesla interns an opportunity within GM’s software teams. The post was spotted and first reported by Business Insider.
Get Fully Charged
Tesla's biggest-ever layoffs.
After years of rapid growth, Tesla has hit a roadblock. Its Q1 2024 sales were down, messaging around the future affordable EV is muddled, and some 20,000 Tesla employees worldwide have lost their jobs. Some of the laid-off staff now might find roles at rival brands.
“In light of recent industry news, GM is extending an invite to software students who may have been impacted from the changes in Tesla’s upcoming summer internship cohort,” Del Amo wrote on the social media platform. “We believe in the strength of our automotive community and are keen to integrate diverse talents into our team. If you are now looking for a new internship opportunity, let's connect,” she added.
Del Amo did not respond to a DM on LinkedIn and GM did not reply to InsideEVs request for comment at the time of publication. We will update this post if we hear back.
Since the post went live Monday, dozens of fresh software grads have expressed interest in the comments. These include several master’s and PhD students specializing in computer science, computer engineering, data analytics and other related fields.
Hiring former Tesla interns might be a new thing. But GM has a history of hiring former Tesla executives. Kurt Kelty, who previously served as Tesla's senior director of battery technology, has taken on the role of vice president of battery operations at GM. Additionally, the company recently appointed Jens Peter Clausen as its new head of manufacturing. Clausen is the former vice president of Gigafactory Nevada.
Internship program aside, several other departments at Tesla have been rattled by the recent layoffs. That includes engineering, production, marketing, design and human resources among others. More importantly, the dismissal of Tesla’s entire Supercharger team sent shockwaves across the industry last week. It was the same team that helped build America’s most comprehensive and reliable charging network, driving sales of EVs.
