--- title: "This Might Be the Reason Elon Musk Is Firing a Ton of People at Tesla" description: "Elon Musk claims a \"bad feeling\" is driving his decision to cut 10 percent of Tesla's workforce — but serious braking issue complaints may also be involved." date: "2022-06-03" modified: "2022-06-03" authors: - name: "Noor Al-Sibai" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/nooralsibai" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/elon-tesla-brake-layoffs" categories: - "Advanced Transport" - "Elon Musk" - "Future Society" - "Tesla" - "The Industrialists" tags: - "electric vehicles" - "elon musk" - "tesla" - "the digest" --- # This Might Be the Reason Elon Musk Is Firing a Ton of People at Tesla ![Elon Musk claims a "bad feeling" is driving his decision to cut 10 percent of Tesla's workforce — but serious braking issue complaints may also be involved.]() *\Image: Tesla\* ## Superbad Elon Musk claims that a "[super bad feeling]()" is driving his decision to cut 10 percent of Tesla's workforce — but serious braking issue complaints may have a little something to do with it as well. According to [*Bloomberg*'s reporting](), federal regulators have Tesla in their crosshairs after receiving a whopping 758 complaints about the electric cars' brakes suddenly engaging at high speeds, a phenomenon referred to as "phantom braking." That number, the report notes, is up more than double from the previous year. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reportedly sent Tesla a letter about the complaints on May 4 after a probe it opened in February, and has demanded that the company respond by June 20. In other words, the timeline seems to match up perfectly with [Musk's histrionics]() about [work from home practices](). ## On Hold News of this regulatory demand comes just hours after [*Reuters* reported that Musk sent a company-wide email]() on Thursday about his "super bad feeling" and decision to "pause all hiring worldwide" and begin cutting staff. The news also came after [a Tesla investor leaked to social media]() another company-wide email in which the CEO demanded that remote employees return to work in the office or face termination. Looking at the timeline, it appears that Musk and the rest of the movers and shakers at Tesla knew about these complaints nearly a month before the CEO began making massive changes to the company's workforce. It might be a little galaxy-brained to suggest that these shots at the company's workforce are meant to take attention off of these gigantic "phantom braking" red flags. But then again, Musk pretty much said he's going to lay a bunch of people off because of bad vibes, so who's to say. **READ MORE:** [Tesla Faces Increase in Complaints Over ‘Phantom Braking’]() \[*Bloomberg*\] **More on Tesla dangers:** [*Tesla Self-Driving Update Caused Cars to Behave Dangerously*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've often been drawn to unpacking the narratives that underlie technological, scientific and medical progress, with a special interest in areas of conflict and ambiguity that end up setting agendas and steering the fates of both elites and the hoi polloi. I'm a committed generalist, but I often find myself returning to work involving NASA and the private space sector, the effects of AI on media and society, and the mechanics of the pharmaceutical industry, with a specific focus on the spread of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. Prior to Futurism, I worked for publications ranging from Media Matters and Truthdig to Raw Story and Bustle. I'm also the author of "Myspace Scene Queens," a 2024 title in Instar Books' acclaimed "Remember the Internet" series. My work at Futurism has been cited by outlets including the New Yorker, Slate, Nieman Lab, the Verge, the MIT Technology Review, the Sunday Times, and the Daily Beast. I grew up in North Carolina, attended the University of North Carolina at Asheville, and now live in Brooklyn, New York. In my free time, I'm an avid reader and music fan; you can probably find me at a local poetry reading, concert, underground rave, or DJ set. I'm the proud parent of an ineffable orange cat named Mee-Mow. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()