Elon Musk’s Influence? Ola CEO Introduces Mandatory Weekly Reports for Employees

In a move akin to Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s recent directive for US federal employees to submit weekly reports, Ola CEO Bhavish Aggarwal has implemented a similar policy days after across his companies, requiring staff to document their weekly accomplishments, as reported by CNBC-TV18.

Notably, Aggarwal last year suggested that Musk should try something new instead of venturing into the same businesses he is in. However, the Ola founder agreed that Musk is someone “we all look up to.”

‘Kya Chal Raha Hai?’: Ola’s Weekly Reporting Policy

Report said that the policy, announced by Aggarwal last week through an internal email, has mandated employees to send a brief weekly email outlining 3-5 key tasks they have completed.

"“We're starting 'Kya Chal Raha Hai?' — a simple way to share your weekly updates directly with me and your managers, starting today," read the part of the email sent by Aggarwal.

The performance reports, with no exceptions, should be shared with their managers and a designated company email. The first deadline of the report was set for the end of the following announcement. However, going forward, it is expected before every Sunday end of the day, the news report said.

Ola Layoffs Amid Cost-Cutting Measures

The email came amid the news of Aggarwal-led Ola Electric's move to lay off over a thousand employees, which accounts for 25% of its workforce. According to a Bloomberg report, Ola will also cut off contract workers amid ballooning losses and intense competition in the EV (electric vehicles) sector.

These layoffs will occur across multiple departments including fulfillment, procurement, charging infrastructure and customer relations. Previously, Ola Electric had laid off around 500 employees.

Ola Electric went public in August last year, just a few months before it started its cost-cutting process.

The EV maker posted a net loss of Rs 564 crore for the third quarter of fiscal year 2025 as compared to Rs 376 crore in the year-ago period. Its revenue from operations also dropped significantly at 19% year-on-year to Rs 1,045 crore against Rs 1,296 crore in Q3FY24.