Several Tesla executives have announced that they will be leaving the company or have already left in the past week. Many of these executives had worked at Tesla for nearly a decade or longer. Tesla is set to unveil its Robotaxi on Thursday.
The departure of four direct employees of Elon Musk from Tesla signals changes within the company. Musk has a unique leadership style with over 30 direct subordinates. While former managers attribute the departures to Elon’s management style, current employees are focused on the upcoming Robotaxi event scheduled for October 10.
During a company meeting on October 3, Chief Information Officer Nagesh Saldi announced his departure after almost twelve years at Tesla. On October 1, Tesla’s Director of Public Policy and Business Development Jos Dings revealed that he would be leaving the company. Additionally, Marc Van Impe, Head of Global Vehicle Automation and Safety Policy, announced his departure on October 6.
Both Dings and Van Impe reported to Tesla’s Vice President of Public Policy and Business Development, Rohan Patel, before his departure in April. Following Patel’s exit, they reported directly to Musk. Dings mentioned taking a career break, while Van Impe shared his plans to take on a consulting role at SpaceX.
On October 4, David Zhang, Tesla’s former Program Manager for Model S and Model X, announced his departure. Daniel Ho, former Head of Vehicle Programs at Tesla, officially announced his departure on September 29 and moved to Waymo as a Program Director.
Musk had previously announced his intention to reduce Tesla’s workforce by more than ten percent, leading to several executive departures. Musk’s leadership style has been cited as a factor contributing to the high turnover rate at Tesla. Some former employees believe that Musk’s frequent restructuring and focus on external ventures like the potential Twitter acquisition have caused disillusionment among staff.
Despite the internal challenges, Tesla employees are primarily focused on the upcoming Robotaxi event. The event will showcase Tesla’s self-driving technology, a key focus for the company’s future. Musk has emphasized the importance of autonomous driving technology for Tesla over the years.
The Robotaxi event is set to take place at Warner Bros. Studio in Burbank, California, and will be streamed live. As Tesla navigates these changes in its executive team, the focus remains on innovation and technological advancements in the electric vehicle industry.