Tesla has been getting a bit of bad press lately: Its CEO Elon Musk berated analysts; its autopilot technology was implicated in crashes; delays in production of its new Model 3 vehicle have frustrated customers; and, most recently, that car failed to earn a recommendation from Consumer Reports.
So it’s not exactly a bad time for the company to release a study touting the good Tesla has done for California’s economy. The benefits include supporting more than 51,000 jobs for the year 2017. IHS Markit conducted the study; Tesla funded it.
The study considered not only Tesla’s direct spending in 2017, but how purchasing by Tesla filtered through the supply chain within the state. The study also took into account 2017 consumer spending by Tesla employees, mostly in Alameda County (where the Tesla factory is located) and Santa Clara County (where the company is headquartered).
The main takeaways, by the numbers:
- 51,000 jobs in California. That number includes 20,189 people directly employed by Tesla and 31,424 additional jobs generated down the supply chain or by local consumer spending. Santa Clara County grabbed 38.7 percent of that total; Alameda County 27.9 percent.
- $2.1 billion paid to employees as wages and equity, along with $986 million paid to employees of direct and extended suppliers and another $923 million in salaries supported by that consumer spending.
- $328 million in state and local taxes paid by Tesla itself, with another $345 million paid by those suppliers and companies benefiting from consumer spending.
The full report, breaking down the data by county and other factors, is available from IHS Markit [pdf].
Tekla S. Perry is a senior editor at IEEE Spectrum. Based in Palo Alto, Calif., she's been covering the people, companies, and technology that make Silicon Valley a special place for more than 40 years. An IEEE member, she holds a bachelor's degree in journalism from Michigan State University.
