Tesla is planning to hiring thousands of new employees in the coming years, with a particular focus on its race to build an autonomous car.
The 14,000-employee-strong company, which has already grown by more than 14 times since 2010, will add another 4,500 California-based employees in the next four years, according to The Wall Street Journal. Tesla currently has around 1,600 open positions.
Last month, Elon Musk called for applications from “hard-core software engineers,” adding that they need no prior automotive experience. Autopilot, Tesla’s self-driving car initiative, reports directly to Musk, he said.
Should mention that I will be interviewing people personally and Autopilot reports directly to me. This is a super high priority.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 20, 2015
In October, Tesla (TSLA) released a software update for the Tesla Model S that included Autopilot features. The update allows the cars to change lanes, adjust speed to fit traffic, identify parking spots, and parallel park on command, among other tricks. But it’s still no automated car: the company encourages its customers to “keep their hands on the steering wheel.”
Tesla isn’t the only company investing in automated cars. The buzzy company is competing with Apple’s “Titan” project, the Google Self-Driving Car Project, and traditional auto companies like Ford and Toyota.
Fortune has reached out to Tesla for comment and will update this article if the company replies.
