Austin's got a new heavyweight employer, and it's Elon Musk's Tesla, rocketing past H-E-B to become the city's largest private employer. Tesla now has 22,777 employees at their Austin facility, giving the local grocery giant H-E-B, with about 19,000 employees, a run for its money, according to Austin American-Statesman.

Having had only 12,277 employees last year, Tesla managed to quickly to ramp up its workforce by 86 percent. In the heart of Texas, Gov. Greg Abbott couldn't contain his excitement, lauding the influx of new jobs brought by the electric vehicle maker. The growth spurt of Tesla's payroll arrives in tandem with a reported plan to boost the ranks at their Giga Texas factory to 60,000 once the long-awaited Cybertruck finally hits full production stride.

The leapfrogging over H-E-B for the top employer title in Austin takes place amid a political squabble featuring H-E-B chairman Charles Butt. As per Beaumont Enterprise, Butt's political action committee has stirred controversy by funding Republican candidates opposed to a private school voucher program proposed by Abbott, marking a clear political divergence in the Texan business landscape.

But Tesla is hardly taking a breather, with Musk pushing forward on the production of Model Y SUVs and ultimately aiming to launch a new mass-market EV with an entry price of only $25,000. To practically ensure a smooth rollout, Musk has famously declared that Tesla teams would be "sleeping on the line, practically. Not practically, we will be," in a statement obtained by Beaumont Enterprise.

Amidst bolstering its workforce and bracing for production challenges, Tesla is proud to affirm it's hitting its ambitions for sustainability and productivity at the Austin Gigafactory. As part of its local community commitment, Tesla's engagement includes educational initiatives like a certification program with Austin Community College and successful hiring drives at state universities, as detailed by Austin American-Statesman.