Elon Musk reveals how a single tweet led to Tesla AI hire Ashok Elluswamy

Elon Musk

Tesla CEO Elon Musk has shared how one social media post played a pivotal role in hiring Ashok Elluswamy, now head of Tesla’s Autopilot and AI division, along with other key contributors to the company’s artificial intelligence efforts. The story traces back to a 2015 tweet in which Musk announced that Tesla was “ramping up the Autopilot software team” to pursue “generalized full autonomy” and included a direct call for applications via email.

The tweet resurfaced recently on X, with a user noting, “The tweet Ashok responded to that got him hired at Tesla.” Musk confirmed the story, explaining that the post was part of Tesla’s broader strategy to build its AI capabilities organically. He stated:

“A tweet/post is how I initiated the dozen or so startups that constitute Tesla. Tesla has made very few acquisitions. Our growth is ~90% organic. We didn’t ‘play to our core strengths’; we created core strengths from nothing.”

This example highlights Musk’s unconventional recruitment methods, leveraging social media to directly connect with top talent rather than relying on traditional hiring channels. The 2015 tweet served as the starting point for Tesla’s Autopilot AI team, which has since become a cornerstone of the company’s EV and autonomous driving ambitions.

Elon Musk’s original tweet

“Ramping up the Autopilot software team at Tesla to achieve generalized full autonomy. If interested, contact autopilot@teslamotors.com.”

Who is Ashok Elluswamy

Ashok Elluswamy is Tesla’s director of Autopilot software and the first hire for the company’s AI team. An alumnus of Carnegie Mellon University, Elluswamy responded to Musk’s tweet in 2015 and joined Tesla shortly afterward. Prior to Tesla, he worked with WABCO Vehicle Control Systems and Volkswagen.

Under Elluswamy’s leadership, Tesla’s Autopilot and Full Self-Driving (FSD) systems have become integral to the company’s long-term vision for autonomous mobility. Musk has frequently credited Elluswamy and his team for Tesla’s significant advancements toward fully autonomous vehicles.