Elon Musk has told Tesla managers to stop recruiting.Frederic J. Brown/Getty Images Tesla has been cutting jobs after Elon Musk said he had a "bad feeling" about the economy. Workers say they are grateful to have worked for the company despite being let go. One former senior employee said it had been an honor to work with so many talented people. Tesla has been cutting workers since CEO Elon Musk declared in June that he wanted to reduce the workforce by 10% but the reaction, in some cases, has been surprising.