Tesla Plans to More Than Double Austin Headcount to 30,000 by 2028

Elon Musk responded to a post highlighting Tesla's current Austin footprint by projecting that more than 30,000 people will be working in high-paying jobs at Tesla's headquarters and manufacturing operations in Austin by 2028. The quoted post, from @gailalfaratx, noted that about 16,500 people currently work for Tesla at Giga Texas and in the Austin area.

That jump from roughly 16,500 to over 30,000 represents a near-doubling of the local workforce in roughly two years, and Musk offered it as a direct response to enthusiasm around the Robotaxi, which the quoted post described as made in Austin by local workers with parts mostly sourced within the United States.

For investors, the workforce projection is the clearest forward guidance Musk has offered on how aggressively Tesla plans to scale Giga Texas capacity and Robotaxi output. A factory workforce of that size implies a meaningful ramp in production throughput.

The post drew nearly 3,000 likes and over 400 replies within hours, reflecting how closely the market tracks Musk's informal guidance on Tesla's operational trajectory. Whether Austin hiring actually tracks toward that 30,000 figure by 2028 will serve as a real-time signal on how the Robotaxi program is progressing.