Elon Musk: You don't need a high school diploma to work at Tesla
"Educational background is irrelevant," the billionaire said. But prepare to pass a "hard-core" coding test.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk attends a delivery ceremony for the China-made Model 3 in Shanghai on Jan. 7. Do you want to come work for him?
Tesla wants you -- if you have a deep knowledge of artificial intelligence and are OK working directly with CEO Elon Musk himself. A high school diploma isn't required, Musk said in a tweet.
"Join AI at Tesla!" Musk said in a tweet sent Sunday. "It reports directly to me & we meet/email/text almost every day. My actions, not just words, show how critically I view (benign) AI."
Tesla will soon have over a million connected vehicles worldwide with sensors & compute needed for full self-driving, which is orders of magnitude more than everyone else combined, giving you the best possible dataset to work with
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 2, 2020
And when a reader asked if they needed a doctorate in AI to qualify, Musk said no.
"A Ph.D. is definitely not required," Musk wrote in a follow-up tweet. "All that matters is a deep understanding of AI and the ability to implement (neural networks) in a way that is actually useful (latter point is what's truly hard). Don't care if you even graduated high school."
A PhD is definitely not required. All that matters is a deep understanding of AI & ability to implement NNs in a way that is actually useful (latter point is what’s truly hard). Don’t care if you even graduated high school.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 2, 2020
But interested job-seekers might feel like they're back in school, as there will be a test. Musk went on to explain more about what employee skills he's seeking, writing, "Educational background is irrelevant, but all must pass hard-core coding test."
Our NN is initially in Python for rapid iteration, then converted to C++/C/raw metal driver code for speed (important!). Also, tons of C++/C engineers needed for vehicle control & entire rest of car. Educational background is irrelevant, but all must pass hardcore coding test.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 3, 2020
Some Twitter users were suspicious about whether Musk meant what he said. One wrote, "It can be proven if you can show me the ratio of Ph.D. to high school grads among Tesla employees. Otherwise, it is another cliche motivational talk."
It can be proven if you can show me the ratio of Phd to High school grads among tesla employees. Otherwise, it is another cliche motivational talk
— Abdul Muhaimin (@sezan92) February 3, 2020
But others applauded Musk's focus on knowledge rather than specific degrees. "(Musk) didn't get a degree in aerospace and he is the lead engineer for the most revolutionary rocket company," wrote one Twitter user. "The man understands that you can learn things without a diploma."
He didn't get a degree in aerospace and he is the lead engineer for the most revolutionary rocket company. The man understands that you can learn things without a diploma.
— CaptainGui (@CaptainGui2) February 2, 2020
"Don’t care if you even graduated high school."
— Don't Tell Me What To Do (@englishovals) February 2, 2020
Why we love ya, Elon.
Every company who is smart does that, there are many people who did good in school etc. but suck in the practice.
— ルーカス | 🅻🆄🅲🅺🆈 (@ItsMeLuckyy) February 4, 2020
Glad you are inclusive like this, gatekeeping is lame. You're pretty awesome, elon
— e-money ✪ (@ethan_01) February 3, 2020
Those who are serious about working for Musk may want to check out job opportunities at another of his companies. On Tuesday, the CEO tweeted out an invitation to "Starship career day" at his SpaceX development facility in Boca Chica, Texas.
Musk himself famously dropped out of a Ph.D. program at Stanford University after just two days to start his first company, Zip2 Corporation.
