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Matthew LaBrot, a Tesla employee described in contemporaneous reports as a sales manager, staff program manager, or sales-training employee, said he was fired shortly after creating a website urging Tesla to move forward without Elon Musk as chief executive. The website, called Tesla Employees Against Elon, launched around April 24, 2025. Tesla’s reported explanation involved alleged use of company resources and conduct that did not align with the company’s perspective; LaBrot disputed that explanation.
The available reporting does not establish how many Tesla employees supported or signed the letter, whether LaBrot was fired solely because of his criticism, or whether his termination violated labor law. The incident remains an employment dispute reported by LaBrot and covered by multiple outlets, not a publicly adjudicated retaliation case.
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What happened at Tesla?
LaBrot created Tesla Employees Against Elon in late April 2025 to reach current and former Tesla employees who shared concerns about Musk’s leadership, political activity, and public behavior. The site published an open letter calling for Tesla to replace Musk as chief executive.
LaBrot said Tesla’s human-resources department contacted him shortly after the site went live and terminated his employment. News accounts differ on the timing: one account described the termination call as occurring less than 24 hours after launch, while another placed it approximately three days later. The safest conclusion is that LaBrot was fired shortly after publishing the site, according to his account and contemporaneous reporting—not that the precise interval has been independently established.
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It is also too broad to say that “Tesla fired employees for signing a resignation letter.” The research available for this article identifies LaBrot as at least one employee who said he was dismissed after creating the site and associating himself with its criticism. It does not provide an authoritative count of signatories or establish that other Tesla employees were fired for signing the letter.
What did the letter say?
The letter argued that Tesla’s sales problems were not primarily the fault of frontline employees or the company’s engineering, service, and delivery teams. Its central message was summarized in reporting as:
“We are not the problem. Our products are not the problem. Our engineering, service, and delivery teams are not the problem. The problem is demand. The problem is Elon.”
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That wording represents the position of the protest site’s authors. It is an argument about Tesla’s business and leadership, not an independently verified finding about the cause of the company’s sales performance.
LaBrot’s criticism centered on Musk’s political involvement, including his role in the Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency, as well as his public conduct. In later interviews, LaBrot described himself as a former Tesla enthusiast and said Musk’s behavior had made it harder for employees to sell Tesla vehicles and explain the company to customers. Those statements document LaBrot’s experience and perspective; they do not prove that Musk’s politics caused all of Tesla’s sales weakness.
Why did LaBrot say Tesla fired him?
According to LaBrot, Tesla’s human-resources department told him his employment was being terminated because he had used company resources to create a website that did not align with Tesla’s perspective. LaBrot denied using company resources in the manner alleged.
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That distinction matters. The available sources do not show a public Tesla termination letter, a definitive statement from Tesla admitting that LaBrot was fired for criticizing Musk, a court ruling, or a National Labor Relations Board finding resolving the matter. The defensible description is that Tesla reportedly cited company-resource use and inconsistency with the company’s values or perspective, while LaBrot disputed the rationale.
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The close timing between the website’s launch and the termination naturally prompted questions about retaliation. But timing alone does not determine the legal or factual reason for an employment decision. On the sources reviewed, it remains unresolved whether the firing reflected enforcement of a company policy, retaliation for criticism, or some combination of the two.
Tesla’s sales were under pressure—but the cause was not one thing
The dispute gained attention because Tesla was already dealing with declining sales and a difficult public image in early 2025. LaBrot’s letter framed the problem as one of demand and leadership. Tesla’s own financial disclosures, however, point to several overlapping explanations.
Tesla reported 336,681 vehicle deliveries in the first quarter of 2025, compared with 362,615 vehicles produced. The company said Model Y production-line changeovers at all four factories caused several weeks of lost production during the quarter. That means the delivery decline cannot be attributed exclusively to consumer demand or damage to the Tesla brand: some vehicles were not produced or delivered because factories were being reconfigured for updated Model Y production.
Tesla’s 2024 Form 10-K also reported that automotive sales revenue fell by $6.03 billion, or 8%, compared with 2023. Combined cash deliveries of the Model 3 and Model Y declined by approximately 22,000 vehicles. Tesla cited lower average selling prices and financing changes among the contributors to the revenue decline.
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Factors that may have affected Tesla’s results
- Model Y factory changeovers: Tesla said production-line conversions at all four factories interrupted output for several weeks in the first quarter of 2025.
- Vehicle pricing and financing: Tesla reported lower average selling prices and financing-related effects in its 2024 filing.
- Product age and consumer expectations: The Model 3 and Model Y remained central to Tesla’s volume, while buyers were also anticipating refreshed products and new competition.
- Competition: Electric-vehicle buyers had more alternatives than in Tesla’s earlier growth period, with established automakers and newer EV manufacturers competing across several markets.
- Brand and leadership concerns: Musk’s political activity and public statements may have affected how some customers viewed the brand, but the available evidence does not isolate the size of that effect.
- Regional market conditions: Tesla’s results reflect different incentives, regulations, economic conditions, and consumer preferences across markets.
The business evidence therefore supports a more careful conclusion: Tesla was experiencing real sales and revenue pressure, and Musk’s public role was one plausible source of customer and employee dissatisfaction, but the data do not prove a single cause.
Why Musk’s political activity became an issue for Tesla employees
LaBrot’s account illustrates a problem specific to companies whose chief executive is also their most visible public representative. Employees selling, servicing, and delivering Tesla vehicles interact directly with customers. If customers object to the CEO’s politics or conduct, those employees may be required to answer for decisions they did not make.
That does not establish that all Tesla employees shared LaBrot’s view. Reporting indicated that he had spoken with colleagues and that some current and former employees expressed similar concerns, while others did not. No reliable source in the research establishes that the letter represented a majority position inside Tesla, nor does it establish a verified number of employee signatories.
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The broader Tesla labor context
The LaBrot episode also drew attention because Tesla has faced earlier allegations and official proceedings involving workplace conditions, discrimination, retaliation, and labor organizing.
The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission sued Tesla alleging a hostile work environment and retaliation involving Black employees who opposed harassment. Earlier labor cases also involved union organizing and employee firings. Those matters are relevant background for readers evaluating Tesla’s workplace record, but they should not be merged with LaBrot’s case.
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In particular, the existence of earlier discrimination or labor proceedings does not prove that LaBrot’s 2025 termination was unlawful retaliation. The sources reviewed for this article did not establish a lawsuit, agency ruling, reinstatement, or other public adjudication specifically resolving his termination.
Timeline of the dispute
| Date | What happened |
|---|---|
| April 22, 2025 | Tesla reported first-quarter results and said Musk would reduce the amount of time devoted to the Department of Government Efficiency beginning in May. This formed part of the political and business backdrop. |
| Around April 24, 2025 | Reporting placed the launch of Tesla Employees Against Elon, the website containing the open letter calling for Musk’s resignation. |
| Late April 2025 | LaBrot said Tesla’s human-resources department contacted him and terminated his employment shortly after the site launched. Published accounts differ over whether the interval was less than a day, about a day, or approximately three days. |
| May 8–12, 2025 | Major media reports described the website, LaBrot’s firing, and the competing accounts of Tesla’s rationale and LaBrot’s denial. |
| July 1, 2025 | Climate One published a later interview with LaBrot in which he discussed his experience at Tesla and his criticism of Musk. |
What remains unknown
- How many current or former Tesla employees signed or supported the letter.
- Whether Tesla formally concluded that LaBrot used company equipment, accounts, data, or other resources—and what evidence supported that conclusion.
- Whether criticism of Musk was itself a stated reason for the termination.
- Whether LaBrot pursued a legal claim or administrative complaint that resulted in a public decision.
- How much, if any, of Tesla’s sales decline was attributable to Musk’s political activity or public conduct.
Those unanswered questions are why the incident should be described as a reported firing and disputed employment explanation, rather than as a proven case of Tesla punishing employees for signing a resignation letter.
Frequently Asked Questions
Did Tesla fire employees for signing a letter asking Elon Musk to resign?
The available reporting identifies at least one employee, Matthew LaBrot, who said he was fired shortly after creating the anti-Musk website. It does not establish a verified number of signatories or prove that other employees were fired for signing the letter.
What reason did Tesla reportedly give for firing Matthew LaBrot?
LaBrot said Tesla’s human-resources department cited his alleged use of company resources to create a website that did not align with Tesla’s perspective. He disputed that explanation. No public termination letter or adjudicated finding reviewed for this article definitively resolves the issue.
Did Elon Musk’s politics cause Tesla’s sales decline?
The available evidence does not support attributing the entire decline to Musk’s politics. Tesla cited Model Y factory changeovers, lower average selling prices, and financing effects, while competition, product timing, regional conditions, and brand concerns may also have mattered.
The Bottom Line
Matthew LaBrot said Tesla fired him shortly after he launched a website calling for Elon Musk to resign. Tesla’s reported explanation concerned company-resource use and alignment with the company’s perspective, which LaBrot denied. The timing raises a legitimate question about retaliation, but the available record does not establish the legal reason for the firing, the number of employee supporters, or that Musk’s politics alone caused Tesla’s sales problems.
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