Tesla Inc CEO Elon Musk said the company cannot hire new employees, including contractors, unless he personally approves them, according to a copy of an email seen by Reuters.

According to the email, Musk told executives to send out a list of hiring requests on a weekly basis, while warning them to “think carefully” before submitting such requests.

“Nobody can even join Tesla as a contractor until they get my email approval,” Musk said in an email Monday.
Last month, the company posted its lowest quarterly gross margin in two years, missing market estimates as it aggressively cut prices to boost demand and fend off rising competition in markets including the US and China.

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

Last week, Musk named former NBC Universal head of advertising Linda Yaccarino as Twitter’s new CEO. Hiring Yaccarino will allow him to spend more time running Tesla, he said Friday.

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