--- description: Elon Musk's company is planning to hire 4,500 people over the next 4 years. title: Now's a Good Time to Apply for a Job at Tesla image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt3a516f10bf48a2d5/6988770a5f570fec5bb1efc6/tesla-hiring-dec-2015.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Business](/section/business/) ## Business Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Tech](/tag/time-section-tech/) ## Tech Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Now's a Good Time to Apply for a Job at Tesla by [Claire Groden / Fortune](/author/fortune/) ## Claire Groden / Fortune Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Dec 29, 2015 3:59 PM CUT  Tesla's iconic logo, as seen on one of their car models. Tesla's iconic logo, as seen on one of their car models.Joe Raedle--Getty Images by [Claire Groden / Fortune](/author/fortune/) ## Claire Groden / Fortune Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Dec 29, 2015 3:59 PM CUT Tesla is planning to hiring thousands of new employees in the coming years, with a particular focus on its race to build an autonomous car. The 14,000-employee-strong company, which has already grown by more than 14 times since 2010, will add another 4,500 California-based employees in the next four years, according to [_The Wall Street Journal_](http://www.wsj.com/articles/tesla-ramps-up-hiring-as-rivals-loom-1451350702 "undefined"). Tesla currently has around 1,600 open positions. Last month, Elon Musk called for applications from “hard-core software engineers,” adding that they need no prior automotive experience. Autopilot, Tesla’s self-driving car initiative, reports directly to Musk, he said. > [](https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/667517215390863360) > [](https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/667519445414252544) In October, Tesla released a [software update](https://www.teslamotors.com/presskit/autopilot "undefined") for the Tesla Model S that included Autopilot features. The update allows the cars to change lanes, adjust speed to fit traffic, identify parking spots, and parallel park on command, among other tricks. But it’s still no automated car: the company encourages its customers to “keep their hands on the steering wheel.” Tesla isn’t the only company investing in automated cars. The buzzy company is competing with Apple’s “Titan” project, the [Google Self-Driving Car Project](https://www.google.com/selfdrivingcar/ "undefined"), and traditional auto companies like Ford and Toyota. _Fortune_ has reached out to Tesla for comment and will update this article if the company replies. _This_ [_article_](http://fortune.com/2015/12/29/tesla-autopilot-jobs/ "undefined") _originally appeared on_ [_Fortune.com_](http://fortune.com "undefined")_._ ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4163152/tesla-hiring-4500-new-employees/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4163152/tesla-hiring-4500-new-employees/"},"headline":"Now's a Good Time to Apply for a Job at Tesla","datePublished":"2015-12-29T15:59:00.000Z","dateModified":"2026-04-13T08:07:10.063Z","description":"Elon Musk's company is planning to hire 4,500 people over the next 4 years","url":"https://time.com/4163152/tesla-hiring-4500-new-employees/","keywords":["Tech","Companies","Silicon Valley","Elon Musk","Tesla"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt3a516f10bf48a2d5/6988770a5f570fec5bb1efc6/tesla-hiring-dec-2015.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Claire Groden / Fortune"}],"articleSection":"Business","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt3a516f10bf48a2d5/6988770a5f570fec5bb1efc6/tesla-hiring-dec-2015.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"tesla hiring 4500 new employees","caption":"tesla hiring 4500 new employees","creditText":"Joe Raedle--Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/business/","name":"Business"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/time-section-tech/","name":"Tech"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4163152/tesla-hiring-4500-new-employees/","name":"Now's a Good Time to Apply for a Job at Tesla"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Watch the SpaceX Falcon 9 Rocket Land","description":"The landing was the first of its kind","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/udsit1bp/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2015-12-22T04:24:00.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/udsit1bp.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/4163152/tesla-hiring-4500-new-employees/","duration":"PT1M4S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/4163152/tesla-hiring-4500-new-employees/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```