Elon Musk Issues Ultimatum to Giga Berlin: Expansion Hangs in the Balance Amid Union Showdown and Early Battery Ramp-Up
In a tense pre-recorded video message delivered to over 10,700 Tesla employees at Gigafactory Berlin-Brandenburg (Giga Berlin) in Grünheide, Germany, CEO Elon Musk has drawn a clear line in the sand. Just days before critical works council elections scheduled for March 2-4, 2026, Musk warned that the site’s ambitious future expansion could be derailed unless it remains “free from external influences”—a phrase widely interpreted as a direct shot at the powerful German union IG Metall. This isn’t just rhetoric; it’s a high-stakes gamble that could reshape Tesla’s European operations, worker relations, and even the broader EV manufacturing landscape.