Musk, said in an email seen by Reuters last week that he had a “super bad feeling” about the economy and needed to cut 10 percent of staff at the automaker. The email was titled “pause all hiring worldwide.”
In another email to employees on Friday, Musk said Tesla would reduce salaried headcount by 10 percent, as it has become “overstaffed in many areas” but added that “hourly headcount will increase.”
However, on Saturday he backed away from the emails, saying total headcount would increase over the next 12 months and the number of salaried staff should be little changed.
Musk had not commented specifically on staffing in China.
Musk last month compared U.S. workers to those in China, saying American workers tended to try to avoid going to work whereas Chinese workers would not leave the factories.
“They will be burning the 3 am oil,” he said at a conference of Chinese workers.
