Elon Musk has faced a significant amount of turnover among his direct reports at Tesla over the past year. Four Tesla executives announced their departure from the company in the past week, with several of them having worked at Tesla for nearly a decade or more. The departures come as Tesla is set to unveil its Robotaxi, with the company shedding executives ahead of the event.
During an all-hands meeting on Thursday, Tesla employees were informed that the company’s chief information officer, Nagesh Saldi, was leaving after nearly 12 years. Other executives who announced their departure include the director of public policy and business development, Jos Dings, and the global vehicle automation and safety policy lead, Marc Van Impe. Both had reported to Tesla’s vice president of public policy before his departure in April.
In addition to Dings and Van Impe, Tesla’s former Model S and Model X program manager, David Zhang, and the former head of vehicle programs, Daniel Ho, have also left the company. Musk had previously announced Ho’s departure in April as part of a larger reduction in headcount at Tesla. In total, Musk has lost eight of his direct reports at Tesla over the past year, with the CEO overseeing more than 30 direct reports.
Some former employees attribute the turnover at Tesla to Musk’s leadership style, citing a high-paced work environment and reorganizations as factors leading to burnout. Others have expressed skepticism about Musk’s vision and his focus on endeavors like acquiring Twitter in 2022. Despite the departures, there has been little internal chatter among Tesla employees regarding the executive turnover.
Tesla is gearing up for its Robotaxi Day event, where it will showcase its self-driving technology. Musk has emphasized the importance of autonomous driving technology to Tesla’s future, with the event expected to take place at Warner Bros studio in Burbank, California. Tesla’s stock has seen significant volatility this year, but was down 1.5% from the start of 2024 at market close on Tuesday.
Overall, the turnover of executives at Tesla comes at a time of significant developments for the company, including the unveiling of the Robotaxi and continued focus on autonomous driving technology. Despite the departures of several key executives, Tesla employees remain focused on the upcoming event and the company’s future trajectory under Musk’s leadership.
