André Thierig / X
A “fairy tale”, a “portrait of a perfect world” by André Thierig – who then shifts the blame elsewhere.
The world automobile is registering thousands of dismissals in recent times. And it is expected that more than 100,000 people will be laid off in the coming years.
In April 2024, Elon Musk announced that the Tesla would have to lay off 10% of its workers. But in Germany That wasn’t going to happen, no one was going to get fired.
The guarantee was given, and repeated, by André Thierig, when talking about Tesla’s gigafactory in Grünheide, where around 11 thousand people work.
“The focus on efficiency is a real driving force for us. optimize even more our efficiency. This means that we have already automated many steps of the process in recent years”, said the head of Tesla in Germany.
But the numbers show that, in fact, there were layoffs in Grünheide: in 2026 there are less nearly 1,700 workers than there was at the time of Musk’s announcement.
In the same period, the German factory increased yours production. In fact, last week the gigafactory in Grünheide saw a 20% increase in Model Y production from July – and will hire around 1,000 employees from May, in addition to hiring 500 temporary employees.
But, in practice, there were layoffs. 300 dismissed recently, voluntary dismissal program coming soon, with another 400 leaving.
Because Tesla obeys market pressures of its competitors.
But André Thierig “presents a portrait of a perfect world. E many people cai I can’t achieve”, says specialist Sönke Iwersen in .
Thierig will be following a principle from the Elon Musk school of management: “What do I care what I said yesterday?”
And there is still an explanation for the numbers: the entire German car industry is in crisis and the unions are also responsible for the layoffs – they refuse “to be forced into a collective agreement”, writes Iwersen.
And there are “influential people who prefer to believe fairy tales to face reality”, continues the article.
Sönke Iwersen warns that André Thierig, responsible for Tesla in Germany, has “deceived politicians and the population” about job cuts in Grünheide.
And he also attacked journalism: “There is a huge discrepancy between what is being told to the public and what is actually happening. If I could wish for one thing, it would be that there were no more lies.”
One last warning: Tesla plans to create 1,000 jobs in Germany; but, at the same time, Thierig said that “there is still more to come” when it comes to efficiency in the company.
