Another Tesla exec quits, says working for Elon Musk’s company is ‘not for the faint of heart’

Tesla CEO Elon Musk told employees the automaker would need to be “absolutely hardcore” about headcount and costs when he laid off 10% of the workforce in April.

Another longtime Tesla worker has quit, as Elon Musk’s company continues to lose senior employees.

Tesla vice president Sreela Venkataratnam, who appears to have worked at the carmaker since 2013, announced her departure in a LinkedIn post this week. In her post, she praised the company but, in comments below, said working there was “not for the faint of heart.”

Venkataratnam described her 11 years at Tesla as “nothing short of extraordinary.”

She expressed her pride at the company’s growth during that time to become the $700 billion colossus it is today, adding that she would take a break before seeking other opportunities.

In a response to a comment from Jason Wheeler, Tesla’s former CFO, Venkataratnam also wrote that working for Tesla is “definitely not for the faint of heart.”

Tesla’s work culture is notoriously demanding. During the company’s grueling production ramps, some employees say they slept in their cars to save commuting time or on the factory floor after long shifts.

Venkataratnam is one of several Tesla senior employees to depart in recent months.

In April, the company cut over 10% of its workforce, with Musk telling employees Tesla needed to be “absolutely hard core about headcount and cost reduction.”

Some of the departures have included key figures at the electric carmaker.

Drew Baglino, Tesla’s senior vice president of powertrain and electrical engineering, resigned after 18 years at Tesla shortly before the layoffs began, with vice president of public policy and business development Rohan Patel also leaving the company at the same time.

Their departures were followed by those of manufacturing engineering director Renjie Zhu — it’s unclear if he resigned or was laid off — and head of product Rich Otto, who wrote on LinkedIn that the layoffs had thrown Tesla “out of balance” and that it was “hard to see the long-game” for the company.

Tesla did not respond to a request for comment from B-17, made outside normal working hours.