Elon Musk has urged Tesla employees to “hang on to” the carmaker’s shares in an effort to reassure them that the carmaker’s future is “incredibly bright” despite plummeting sales, a series of safety recalls and vandalism spurred by his political activism.

Tesla is aiming to build 5,000 of its Optimus humanoid robots this year, CEO Elon Musk said at a meeting where he also urged staff to hold on to their shares of the company amid a selloff in the stock.