Tesla

I am a multi-disciplined test engineer. I have been with the company for quite some time and have worked across most engineering groups, with the exception of the infotainment division.

• ISOs and RSUs. I entered prior to the stock hike. Company-provided options and RSU grants for achievement have been a big financial reward and will continue to be until full vesting. This is important and one of the top three reasons Tesla has me staying put with the company (see Cons below).

• Opportunities to learn. The company moves fast and because of that, there have been a multitude of opportunities for me to interact across various technical groups. I have had the opportunity, without any hindrances due to my role, to gain a holistic understanding of the technology behind this vehicle. It's special, to say the very least.

• Bright minds. Tesla acquired top talent in its early days (I cannot say the same now, see below). The backbone of the company has been the engineers with the confidence and courage to tackle challenges no one else has ever attempted. Many other automotive companies have come to recognize that Tesla is a competitor and looming threat.

• Advancement. Up until recent months, Tesla did a fairly decent job at providing opportunities for advancement. This was in part due to its very loose structuring (leveling didn't officially happen until a few months ago) and also in part because you truly were recognized for your experience, knowledge, and impact. If you were promoted from level 1 to level 2, you earned it. If you were promoted from level 1 to staff (level 4), you changed the approach for something crucial and you definitely earned it. You got what you earned, and even though recognition came slowly, I can't think of many companies that would have let someone jump from level 1 to level 4, regardless of the fact they were qualified, just out of tradition.

Bottom line. Though I am still young in my career, in comparison to many other senior engineers at other companies, whether they are friends, family, or acquaintances, I know that in my time with Tesla, the experience and knowledge I have gained has been 2x to 3x greater than what they received in the same amount of time. It came at the expense of very hard and tedious work and deadlines. But I made it work out.

People interested in applying to Tesla now must be aware of several things.

My comments are particularly applicable to engineers. As Tesla continues to grow to support all of its upcoming activities (read the news), one of its biggest challenges is management. It is very apparent that the culture, to a degree, is shifting from a "start-up" mentality to a very particular vision of what proper management should look like. This includes leveling, improving documentation, enforcing best practices, etc.

There is one very big drawback that anyone looking to join a cutting-edge company should be wary of: this is slowly KILLING the original culture of doing what is necessary, thinking outside the box, and promoting cross-group interaction. Elon won’t ever let this culture shift touch the side of innovation and technological advance, thankfully. This I am certain of, as it would kill the heart of Tesla's edge.

I have been fortunate enough in my career that I just made it onto the "old Tesla" side of the team. This is a group of people who recognize there are management challenges and there is a need to improve on those now, but also understand there is a need to minimize internal politics to remain one team. It is also a team of individuals that have leveraged and maintained a particular amount of political pull to keep that system in-line, to a degree.

Let me draw on one generic example. A large group discovered a flaw that was in part due to decisions made along with another group, and instead of approaching the problem with a “let’s fix this” attitude, they “strategically waited” until the other group confronted and accepted responsibility before acting towards resolution. This, in my mind, is unacceptable.

What I have been witnessing in the transformation of the company is a greater dependence on politics. Be prepared if you are an associate-level engineer to be told exactly what you are allowed to do. And if you are senior-level, know that you are entering potentially shark-infested waters depending on what division you are working for.

Ask as you apply and interview to learn more about the dynamics.

The last downside is compensation. Tesla targets average pay, nothing less, nothing more, unless you are a rare candidate with such specific expertise that no one else like you exists. If you are that individual, you will be treated well (senior manager, exec, VP level).

As a new hire, you do not have as much of an edge with your options. Your strike price will also be significantly higher than “older” Tesla colleagues. You will get paid enough to live on, but without the added bonus of ISOs at your side helping to ease the pain as you work tirelessly each and every day, you will find it more difficult to make it at Tesla.

The company used top talent and let them go off to other companies after they were burnt and ground to ashes. I’ve seen some of the best engineers leave under these circumstances. And as many other reviewers have mentioned, if you decide to take a job with this promising company, know you WILL sacrifice work-life balance, your family will see less of you, and you will have to make sacrifices while you stay at Tesla. You will get down and dirty. In return, you will hopefully receive bonuses and rewards for your hard work, and you can say you were part of it all, changing the mindset of all people and shifting the paradigm and direction of personal-vehicle technology.

• Remove all personal ambition and pride, as it tends to limit your team.
• Remove roadblocks through the implementation of management initiatives instead of creating them.
• Encourage original thinking, cross-group collaboration, etc., to feed the minds of your top-talent Stanford/Berkeley/Waterloo/Michigan graduates to keep them engaged.
• Recognize the work of your team members directly because it greatly improves morale.

No one is asking to have an easy or fun time while grinding through the near-impossible deadlines at Tesla. But many people are asking for support. Give it.