NEW YORK, Feb 8, 2026, 08:35 (EST)
- Tesla executives have posted new hiring calls tied to Elon Musk’s push for a 100-gigawatt U.S. solar manufacturing chain.
- A job listing set an end-2028 deadline for building solar manufacturing “from raw materials” on U.S. soil.
- Bloomberg News reported Tesla is weighing new sites and an expansion of its Buffalo, New York solar operations.
Tesla is ramping up hiring tied to Elon Musk’s plan to build 100 gigawatts of domestic solar manufacturing by the end of 2028, according to posts by senior executives and a job listing. 1
The push matters now because Tesla is leaning harder on its energy business as its electric-vehicle sales slow, and as electricity demand rises from data centers linked to the expansion of artificial intelligence, Musk has said. 2
In solar, “gigawatts” is the standard yardstick for factory capacity, based on the power rating of the panels and cells made. The United States has about 65 gigawatts of solar module capacity but only 3.2 gigawatts of solar cell capacity — the cell is the part that turns sunlight into electricity — and China dominates cell output. 3
Seth Winger, a Tesla senior manager for solar products engineering, called it an “audacious” project in a LinkedIn post and urged engineers and scientists to join. Other executives, including engineering director Ralf Gomm and battery-manufacturing vice president Bonne Eggleston, also posted recruiting messages this week. 4
A manufacturing-development job ad describes work on equipment and processes used in semiconductor-style production, including tools used in high-volume solar cell manufacturing. The listing says the role would help build out 100 gigawatts of U.S. solar manufacturing from raw materials before the end of 2028. 5
Bloomberg News reported Tesla is weighing new locations to lift solar-cell output, including sites in New York, Arizona and Idaho, and that one option under review would expand its Buffalo operations to as much as 10 gigawatts. 6
New York state’s economic development agency has not held talks with Tesla on the plan, spokesperson Pamm Lent said, adding the state has “not yet engaged” with the company. Tesla and Musk did not immediately respond to requests for comment, and Tesla has not said where most of the planned capacity would be built. 7
Some analysts are wary of the timetable. TD Cowen analyst Jeff Osborne wrote that Musk’s targets look “aspirational,” pointing to a long record of near-term deadlines slipping — including repeated promises on driverless cars and a “robotaxi” rollout. Tesla’s “Full Self Driving” is a driver-assistance feature that still requires a human driver to pay attention. 8
But the downside case is familiar: Tesla has tried solar manufacturing in Buffalo before, and its former partner Panasonic exited solar cell production there in 2020, raising questions about how quickly the company can scale a supply chain that still leans heavily on Asia. Tesla has also used the Buffalo facility for EV Supercharger equipment as it worked to hit state job targets, a reminder that priorities — and production plans — can shift fast. 9
