How Many People Work at Tesla? Headcount and Employee Trends

Tesla designs and manufactures electric vehicles, battery storage systems, and solar technology, employing roughly 45,900 people worldwide. The company recorded a nearly one-for-one ratio of new hires to departures during the most recent reporting period, signaling a relatively steady overall headcount. With an established global manufacturing footprint and continuous product development, Tesla maintains a sizable talent pool that supports automotive production, energy products, and supporting services.

Engineering is Tesla’s largest discipline with about 17,800 employees, accounting for close to two-fifths of total staff and underscoring the technical depth required to develop vehicles, energy systems, and in-house software. Operations, which includes manufacturing and supply-chain functions, follows with more than 8,100 employees. Customer-facing roles are consolidated under Sales and Support at just over 5,200 employees, while Business Management teams number around 4,850. Finance & Administration, IT, Human Resources, Consulting, and Marketing & Product collectively round out the remaining workforce, each ranging from roughly 1,100 to 2,500 employees. Overall, departmental sizes reveal a heavy emphasis on engineering and production capabilities balanced by essential corporate and customer operations.

Tesla’s talent is widely distributed, with the largest single grouping—over 30,000 employees—spread across assorted manufacturing plants, service centers, and remote sites worldwide. Among disclosed hubs, the San Francisco Bay Area hosts nearly 4,700 employees, while Austin, home to a major Gigafactory and the corporate headquarters, employs about 3,400 people. Fremont and San Jose together add more than 3,300 employees in California’s manufacturing corridor. Internationally, Berlin supports European production with roughly 1,500 employees, and Amsterdam, Reno, Los Angeles, and Buffalo each contribute several hundred staff members. This geographic mix reflects Tesla’s strategy of situating engineering, manufacturing, and sales resources close to core markets and production facilities.