Elon Musk told Tesla executives Monday that if someone wants to work at the company, he or she must go through him first. 

“No one can join Tesla, even as a contractor, until you receive my email approval,” Mr. Musk wrote in an email.

According to reports, Mr. Musk asked his executives to send him a hiring list every week and to “think carefully” about whom they send for his approval.

Beyond Tesla, Musk is stepping down as CEO of Twitter, naming former NBCUniversal Advertising Chief Linda Yaccarino as his replacement. He still intends to stay on with a subsidiary role, which is a relief for conservatives, who have their voice back on Twitter since he bought it in October.

The email Monday comes ahead of Tesla’s annual shareholder meeting. The relationship between Mr. Musk and his Tesla shareholders has been rocky over the past year. Several investors have been critical of Mr. Musk’s priorities and Twitter activity, saying his focus on Twitter has hurt Tesla’s brand. He has also faced some pushback from investors over dropping the price on some of the more popular Tesla model cars.

• Vaughn Cockayne can be reached at vcockayne@washingtontimes.com.