Tesla executive and longtime Elon Musk confidant Omead Afshar has left the company, a person familiar with the matter said on Thursday, marking another senior departure as the electric-vehicle maker grapples with slowing global demand.
Afshar was part of the CEO’s office and began overseeing sales and manufacturing operations in Europe and North America last year. He joined Tesla in 2017 and quickly rose through the ranks to become one of Musk’s trusted lieutenants, playing a central role in major projects including the construction of the Texas Gigafactory.
Demand for Tesla’s EVs has tumbled in Europe and North America as Musk embraced right-wing politics and supported U.S. President Donald Trump, spearheading the White House’s Department of Government Efficiency that alienated some potential buyers.
Afshar’s departure was reported earlier by Bloomberg News.
In late May, Musk ended his Washington stint, offering some reassurance to investors concerned about brand damage and his limited focus on Tesla. Still, the shares remain down about 19 per cent for the year, after initially rising on optimism that Trump’s victory would clear the regulatory path for robotaxis.
On Sunday, Tesla deployed a small group of self-driving taxis that picked up paying passengers in Austin, Texas. The company plans to expand the service to more cities in the U.S., but some analysts and experts have warned that the mass roll-out could be tough, given concerns about safety and the technology.
Afshar’s departure also follows a wave of executive exits in 2024, triggered by company-wide restructuring as Tesla cut thousands of jobs and reoriented its focus toward artificial intelligence-based self-driving technology and robotics.
Several top executives left Tesla then, amid restructuring and layoffs, including CFO Zach Kirkhorn, chief battery engineer Drew Baglino, and Rebecca Tinucci, who led the Supercharging division.
Separately, Jenna Ferrua, who headed human resources operations in Austin, has also quit, according to latest media reports.
Tesla, Ferrua and Musk did not immediately respond to Reuters requests for comment, while emails to Afshar were not delivered.
Analysts expect Tesla to report a second straight annual decline in global deliveries, a first in the company’s about two-decade history.
