--- title: "Elon Musk Didn’t Like What a Woman Told Him, So He Fired Her Entire Department" description: "According to Reuters, Tesla CEO Elon Musk met with the company's former charging exec Rebecca Tinucci before firing her and her team." date: "2024-05-15" modified: "2024-05-15" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/elon-musk-woman-fired-her-entire-department" categories: - "Elon Musk" - "Future Society" - "The Industrialists" tags: - "charging stations" - "elon musk" - "superchargers" - "tesla" - "the digest" --- # Elon Musk Didn’t Like What a Woman Told Him, So He Fired Her Entire Department ![]() *\Image: Getty / Futurism\* ## Swearing Fealty Tesla CEO Elon Musk is laying siege to the carmaker, seemingly doing anything he can to throw the company into chaos. Late last month, news emerged that the mercurial billionaire [had fired]() the entire company's 500-workers-strong Supercharger team, [angering fans]() and leaving investors dumbfounded. According to four former staffers who [spoke with *Reuters*](), Musk had a one-on-one meeting with the company's former head of EV charging Rebecca Tinucci before the culling — and seemingly didn't like what he heard, firing her and her entire team shortly after. The pair reportedly disagreed over the deeper cuts Musk wanted to make, which Tinucci balked at. Tinucci was one of the few high-ranking female executives left at the company and [one]() [of several]() [senior managers]() who have since either been fired or left on their own accord following Tesla's [disastrous quarterly earnings call](). As always, Musk's motivations are tough to parse. But given the ensuing chaos and a likely massive dent he's leaving in the rollout of charging infrastructure across the country, it's a difficult-to-reconcile decision. Was there really a fundamental disagreement over how to conduct mass layoffs, or did Tinucci simply fail Musk's loyalty test? There's also a gender component: the billionaire already has a challenged relationship with women and has made plenty of [misogynist comments]() in the past. ## Car Wars Musk has since reversed course and has [started rehiring]() some of his EV maker's fired Supercharger team. Unsurprisingly, he's also reappointed a male executive to the head of the project, as [*Bloomberg* reported]() this week. Facing immense backlash, Musk [quickly and conveniently changed]() his tune, [promising]() that he would spend "well over" $500 million to expand Tesla’s Supercharger network. But while that number may sound like a lot on paper, it likely doesn't amount to much. According to research firm EVAdoption, half a billion dollars will still mean that Tesla will be building 77 percent fewer charging ports per month in the US compared to its previous pace. The effects of Musk's seemingly short-sighted move are already becoming apparent. Tesla is already [pulling out of key leases]() and [ghosting contractors](). "It’s just unfortunate that now they’re stuck holding the bag on all these different projects," one of the former charging team employees told *Reuters*. "It’s really sad to see all these relationships burned and people be really angry — rightfully so." Meanwhile, Musk is still hellbent on gifting himself one of the largest corporate payouts in history, with the company [hunting down a Delaware corporate law loophole]() to reinstate his $56 billion pay package. **More on Elon Musk:** *[98 Percent of Drivers Who Try Tesla's Full Self-Driving Demo Ditch It After the Trial Period Is Over]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()