Musk tells Tesla staff he must approve all hiring

Tesla Inc (TSLA.O) CEO Elon Musk has said that the company can make no new hires unless he personally approves them, including contractors, according to a copy of the email seen by Reuters.

According to the email, Musk told executives to send him a list of hiring requests on a weekly basis, while also cautioning them to "think carefully" before submitting such requests.

"No one can join Tesla, even as a contractor, until you receive my email approval", Musk said in the email on Monday.

Last month, the company posted its lowest quarterly gross margin in two years, missing market estimates, as it slashed prices aggressively in markets including the United States and China to spur demand and fend off rising competition.

Tesla did not immediately respond to Reuters' request for comment.

Musk named former NBCUniversal advertising chief Linda Yaccarino as Twitter's new CEO last week. He said on Friday that hiring Yaccarino would allow him to spend more time to run Tesla.

The billionaire is expected to address Tesla shareholders on Tuesday at the automaker's annual meeting at its headquarters in Austin, Texas.