Musk’s Mixed Tesla Jobs Messages Send Everyone on Wild Ride

Elon Musk sent Tesla Inc. staff, investors and electric-car watchers on a roller-coaster ride with conflicting messages about potential job cuts, underlining the sometimes erratic nature of his leadership and muddying the automaker’s outlook.

The chief executive officer tweeted on Saturday that Tesla’s total workforce will increase over the next 12 months, with its salaried ranks remaining relatively unchanged. That followed his Friday message to employees that 10% of salaried workers would lose their jobs, which clarified an earlier memo that suggested cuts would be made across the company. According to people who received the second email, Musk said that while Tesla is overstaffed in some areas, cuts won’t apply to people who assemble cars or battery packs.