Tesla's Late-Night Meeting Leaves Workers Scratching Their Heads

On Thursday night, March 20, 2025, Tesla's CEO Elon Musk surprised employees with a last-minute, late-night meeting that left many feeling confused, according to Business Insider.

Employees found out about the meeting just a few hours before it was supposed to start at 9:30 p.m. ET, much later than Tesla usually schedules company events. They received a message on Teams and a livestream link on X (formerly Twitter), promising updates on Tesla’s latest achievements and future plans.

But the unusual timing and short notice caused chaos. A Tesla engineer told Business Insider, "It feels a bit hasty. No one was expecting this tonight, and we're all just trying to catch up." Another worker felt it was more for show, describing the event as "a publicity stunt" meant to impress investors rather than help employees.

Tesla all-hands live presentation
https://t.co/jQOt6WB2LN

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 21, 2025

Adding to the confusion, Tesla accidentally posted a livestream link too early and quickly deleted it. When employees tried to join, many found the link didn't work. Tesla finally started a new livestream just before the event, but viewers were stuck watching a silent screen for nearly 30 minutes.

When Musk finally appeared around 9:58 p.m., he talked about recent successes at Tesla, including safety improvements, strong car deliveries, robotics, and progress in self-driving technology.

He also addressed recent struggles Tesla has faced, like the stock price dropping 37% this year and protests at some service centers. Musk joked about negative news coverage, saying, "If you read the news, it feels like armageddon," and humorously asked critics not to go to extremes: "Listen, I understand if you don't want to buy our product, but you don't have to burn it down."

Musk encouraged employees to stay optimistic about Tesla's future, especially its self-driving cars, which he believes will greatly boost the company's value. He advised workers and investors, "Hang on to your stock."

Despite Musk’s reassuring message, the rushed nature of the meeting caused plenty of internal confusion.