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Tesla's mass firings spread to SolarCity

cnbc.com

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Re: Tesla's mass firings spread to SolarCity

#31

Post by wbl »

jmcgough wrote: post #14
frgtpsswrdlame wrote: post #2

Sources said that HR department representatives told staff in one office they were being let go due to problematic "conduct with peers." When questioned, an ex-employee said, HR declined to specify any details about the alleged poor conduct, which had never been previously discussed. Is this pre-empting a union push?

Tesla has been waging an internal war against union formation, so wouldn't surprise me if they were firing people they saw as pushing unionization.

That's a surefire way to get hauled up before the NLRB. I'm not surprised companies try it, but they usually get sued for it.

Re: Tesla's mass firings spread to SolarCity

#33

Post by thomaskcr »

ghostbrainalpha wrote: post #29
Siecje wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How did the laws change?

https://www.reviewjournal.com/business/energy/solarcity-stop... >>The PUC “has effectively shut down the rooftop-solar industry and taken the extraordinary step to punish over 12,000 existing solar customers, including schools, with exorbitant fees in what appears to be an attempt to protect the profits of the state’s largest utility. All three members of the PUC, who voted unanimously to change the rules, were appoi…

Net metering isn't even a US law thing, it's a physics law thing. Just basic physics should tell you that selling power for the same price you buy it doesn't make sense due to heat loss in the lines.

If you want a battery buy one, don't try to use the grid as a giant battery.

Re: Tesla's mass firings spread to SolarCity

#34

Post by Bartweiss »

mtgx wrote: post #11

If there was one division at Tesla that deserved lay-offs, surely it was SolarCity? I remember how everyone was talking about what a bad move Tesla made in acquiring SolarCity, because the company was a mess and unprofitable. I've also heard stories about how aggressive and pushy SolarCity's sales people were with customers, which ended-up giving the company an increasingly worse reputation.

This seems at minimum possible. The general consensus at the time of the SolarCity acquisition was something like "that's a failing venture, but the products and manufacturing capacity are relevant to Tesla". And now we've seen Powerwall synced up with SolarCity tech, but no major leaps forward for SolarCity itself.

Would it be all that surprising if this was a move to quietly wind down SolarCity as a separate concern in favor of using it as a smaller feed-in to Tesla?

(If anyone actually knows more internals there, I'd be fascinated to hear.)

Re: Tesla's mass firings spread to SolarCity

#35

Post by adamsea »

SubiculumCode wrote: post #16

I am pretty pro-union. However, in the case of Musk's enterprises, where there is this larger goal that is finally seeming to become possible, I am torn. I feel that anyone that works at these places should know and be a zealot for the Cause...but I suppose that Elon Musk probably should share his stakes with them a bit more, in that case. edit: I believe workers should be treated fairly, but I also want us to go to…

The ends justify the means, eh?

Re: Tesla's mass firings spread to SolarCity

#36

Post by 11thEarlOfMar »

1,200 of 33,000 employees amounts to 3.6% of the work force. This level of action, 1 in 25 employees, gives managers an opportunity to release employees that looked good in the interview but did not meet expectations. Whether Tesla conducted this in a proper manner is open to debate and perhaps details will emerge if/when any former employees pursue Tesla in court. But any company needs to address the inevitable hiring mistakes and I don't see evidence that Tesla is doing any more than that.

Re: Tesla's mass firings spread to SolarCity

#38

Post by vormalpg »

montyboy_us wrote: post #21

SpaceX, Tesla, and SolarCity: ponzi schemes that have a little tech behind them and pull on our heartstrings.

Compared to the pure software startups whose announcements are splashed all over the front pages of ycombinator, who are generally trying to spin old and boring ideas as grand innovation, I'd say there's a lot of tech behind these companies.

Re: Tesla's mass firings spread to SolarCity

#40

Post by Bartweiss »

montyboy_us wrote: post #21

SpaceX, Tesla, and SolarCity: ponzi schemes that have a little tech behind them and pull on our heartstrings.

...can you give any context on how that applies to SpaceX?

I think you're overstating the case for all three, because Tesla is a normal company that may or may not succeed, and SolarCity isn't a Ponzi scheme but simply a business dependent on regulatory decisions (like most every solar company).

But the inclusion of SpaceX there is frankly baffling to me; it's a completely different business model only tied to the others by Musk's involvement. And their "little tech" has involved at least two major achievements no one else has ever come close to. Maybe they lose to Orbital or NASA stops outsourcing or something, but "sometimes companies fail" is a far cry from "Ponzi scheme".

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