Support for Musk ironclad: Tesla's robot chief Milan Kovac quits
Milan Kovac, the head of Tesla's ambitious Optimus humanoid robot program, announced on Friday that he is stepping down from his role, saying he plans to return home to spend more time with family. Kovac made the announcement in a heartfelt post on X, making clear that the decision was personal and not linked to any issues at Tesla.'This week, I've had to make the most difficult decision of my life and will be moving out of my position,' Kovac wrote. 'I've been far away from home for too long and will need to spend more time with family abroad. I want to make it clear that this is the only reason.'advertisementKovac joined Tesla in 2016 as an engineer on the core Autopilot team. He later rose to lead the Optimus robot program, where he played a key role in developing Tesla's humanoid robot from scratch. In September 2023, he was named vice president.
'The transition to build & lead the Optimus group early 2022, when we had nothing but a couple Kuka arms arranged upside-down, was of another level for me,' he reflected. 'We had to build an entire platform: hardware & software all at once. And this amazing team did it. They did it, I didn't.'Kovac emphasized his ongoing belief in Tesla's mission and his admiration for CEO Elon Musk, despite his departure.'My support for @elonmusk and the team is ironclad – Tesla team forever,' he wrote. 'Elon, you've taught me to discern signal from noise, hardcore resilience, and many fundamental principles of engineering. I am forever grateful.'Over the past 9+ years, I've had the immense privilege to work with some of the most brilliant minds in AI & engineering. I've built friendships that will last a lifetime.This week, I've had to make the most difficult decision of my life and will be moving out of my position. pic.twitter.com/ENwYRDQkMO— Milan Kovac (@_milankovac_) June 6, 2025advertisementThe veteran engineer, known internally for his relentless focus and late-night debugging marathons, also gave a parting nod to his colleagues across departments.'It's been so humbling to work with such talented people, and I've got entire faith in them pushing Optimus to the next level,' he said.Kovac ended on a confident note about Tesla's future: 'Tesla will win, I guarantee you that.'Bloomberg News, which initially reported the development, said in its report that Kovac would leave his position immediately, and Ashok Elluswamy, who currently leads Tesla's autopilot teams, will take on his role.Musk has earlier said he expected Tesla to make thousands of Optimus robots this year. He said in April that China's export restrictions on rare-earth magnets had affected production of the humanoid robots.
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India Today
36 minutes ago
- India Today
Hope Elon comes back into fold: Vance calls feud with Trump huge mistake for Musk
US Vice President JD Vance has weighed in on the public spat between former allies Elon Musk and President Donald Trump, saying it was a huge mistake for the tech titan and hoped he "came back into the fold".Musk has been at loggerheads with Trump just days after he quit the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). And the bone of contentions is Trump's over the latter's "big, beautiful bill" on government spending and the massive tax a podcast with comedian Theo Von that was released on Saturday, Vance said Musk was entitled to his opinion while he threw his weight behind Trump. "I'm not saying he has to agree with the bill or agree with everything that I'm saying. I just think it's a huge mistake for the world's wealthiest man. I think one of the most transformational entrepreneurs ever — to be at war with the world's most powerful man, who I think is doing more to save the country than anybody in my lifetime," he said."I just think you've got to have some respect for him and say, 'yeah, we don't have to agree on every issue'. But is this war actually in the interest of the country? I don't think so," Vance said Trump was "getting a little frustrated" due to the "unfair" criticisms from Musk, but described him as being restrained in his fallout with the tech billionaire."Hopefully, Elon figures it out, comes back into the fold. I know the president was getting a little frustrated, feeling like some of the criticisms were unfair coming from Elon. But I think it has been very restrained. The president doesn't think that he needs to be in a blood feud with Elon Musk. I actually think that if Elon chilled out a little bit, everything would be fine," he that he was proud to "stand beside Trump", Vance said, "The president has done more than any person in my lifetime to earn the trust of the movement he leads." HOW DID THE FEUD BEGAN?The falling-out had begun brewing days ago when Musk, who left his role as head of DOGE a week ago, denounced Trump's sweeping tax-cuts and spending President Donald Trump on Thursday voiced disappointment over Elon Musk's stinging criticism of the Republican spending legislation, dubbed the "One Big Beautiful Bill", and said the Tesla CEO had always been aware of the bill's key provisions - especially the proposed cuts to electric vehicle (EV) mandates. Musk responded on X with a "whatever" and said the bill was never shown to him even then threatened to cancel government contracts linked to Musk's businesses. The US President asserted that Musk had become difficult to deal with and accused him of meanwhile, continued his attackon X, saying "Without me, Trump would have lost the election, Democrats would control the House and the Republicans would be 51-49 in the Senate."Musk had bankrolled a large part of Trump's presidential campaign after the Republican's twin assassination attempts last snubbed Musk amid the public spat, telling ABC News in a phone interview that he was "not interested in a call with a man who lost his mind". Trump asserted that Musk wanted to speak to him, but he was not ready to do then dropped a bombshell, claiming that Trump was named in the files of late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. However, he later deleted his InMust Watch IN THIS STORY#Elon Musk#Donald Trump#JD Vance
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First Post
36 minutes ago
- First Post
VP JD Vance says Elon Musk making ‘huge mistake' attacking Trump online, calls him an ‘emotional guy'
Vance's comments come as other Republicans in recent days have urged the two men, who months ago were close allies spending significant time together, to mend fences read more Vice President JD Vance said Elon Musk was making a 'huge mistake' going after President Donald Trump in a storm of bitter and inflammatory social media posts after a falling out between the two men. But the vice president, in an interview released Friday after the very public blow up between the world's richest man and arguably the world's most powerful, also tried to downplay Musk's blistering attacks as an 'emotional guy' who got frustrated. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD 'I hope that eventually Elon comes back into the fold. Maybe that's not possible now because he's gone so nuclear,' Vance said. Vance's comments come as other Republicans in recent days have urged the two men, who months ago were close allies spending significant time together, to mend fences. Musk's torrent of social media posts attacking Trump came as the president portrayed him as disgruntled and 'CRAZY' and threatened to cut the government contracts held by his businesses. Musk, who runs electric vehicle maker Tesla, internet company Starlink and rocket company SpaceX, lambasted Trump's centerpiece tax cuts and spending bill but also suggested Trump should be impeached and claimed without evidence that the government was concealing information about the president's association with infamous pedophile Jeffrey Epstein. 'Look, it happens to everybody," Vance said in the interview. 'I've flown off the handle way worse than Elon Musk did in the last 24 hours.' Vance made the comments in an interview with ' manosphere' comedian Theo Von, who last month joked about snorting drugs off a mixed-race baby and the sexuality of men in the U.S. Navy when he opened for Trump at a military base in Qatar. The vice president told Von that as Musk for days was calling on social media for Congress to kill Trump's 'Big Beautiful Bill,' the president was 'getting a little frustrated, feeling like some of the criticisms were unfair coming from Elon, but I think has been very restrained because the president doesn't think that he needs to be in a blood feud with Elon Musk.' STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD 'I actually think if Elon chilled out a little bit, everything would be fine," he added. Musk appeared by Saturday morning to have deleted his posts about Epstein. The interview was taped Thursday as Musk's posts were unfurling on X, the social media network the billionaire owns. During the interview, Von showed the vice president Musk's claim that Trump's administration hasn't released all the records related to sex abuser Jeffrey Epstein because Trump is mentioned in them. Vance responded to that, saying, 'Absolutely not. Donald Trump didn't do anything wrong with Jeffrey Epstein.' 'This stuff is just not helpful,' Vance said in response to another post shared by Musk calling for Trump to be impeached and replaced with Vance. 'It's totally insane. The president is doing a good job.' Vance called Musk an 'incredible entrepreneur,' and said that Musk's Department of Government Efficiency, which sought to cut government spending and laid off or pushed out thousands of workers, was 'really good.' STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The vice president also defended the bill that has drawn Musk's ire, and said its central goal was not to cut spending but to extend the 2017 tax cuts approved in Trump's first term. The bill would slash spending but also leave some 10.9 million more people without health insurance and spike deficits by $2.4 trillion over the decade, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office. Musk has warned that the bill will increase the federal deficit and called it a 'disgusting abomination.' 'It's a good bill," Vance said. 'It's not a perfect bill.' He also said it was ridiculous for some House Republicans who voted for the bill but later found parts objectional to claim they hadn't had time to read it. Vance said the text had been available for weeks and said, 'the idea that people haven't had an opportunity to actually read it is ridiculous.' Elsewhere in the interview, Vance laughed as Von cracked jokes about famed abolitionist Frederick Douglass' sexuality. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD 'We're gonna talk to the Smithsonian about putting up an exhibit on that,' Vance joked. 'And Theo Von, you can be the narrator for this new understanding of the history of Frederick Douglass.' The podcaster also asked the vice president if he 'got high' on election night to celebrate Trump's victory. Vance laughed and joked that he wouldn't admit it if he did. 'I did not get high,' he then said. 'I did have a fair amount to drink that night.' The interview was taped in Nashville at a restaurant owned by musician Kid Rock, a Trump ally.
New Indian Express
2 hours ago
- New Indian Express
Vance says Musk making a 'huge mistake' in going after Trump but also tries to downplay the attacks
BRIDGEWATER: Vice President JD Vance said Elon Musk was making a 'huge mistake' going after President Donald Trump in a storm of bitter and inflammatory social media posts after a falling out between the two men. But the vice president, in an interview released Friday after the very public blow up between the world's richest man and arguably the world's most powerful, also tried to downplay Musk's blistering attacks as an 'emotional guy' who got frustrated. 'I hope that eventually Elon comes back into the fold. Maybe that's not possible now because he's gone so nuclear,' Vance said. Vance's comments come as other Republicans in recent days have urged the two men, who months ago were close allies spending significant time together, to mend fences. Musk's torrent of social media posts attacking Trump came as the president portrayed him as disgruntled and 'CRAZY' and threatened to cut the government contracts held by his businesses. Musk, who runs electric vehicle maker Tesla, internet company Starlink and rocket company SpaceX, lambasted Trump's centerpiece tax cuts and spending bill but also suggested Trump should be impeached and claimed without evidence that the government was concealing information about the president's association with infamous pedophile Jeffrey Epstein. 'Look, it happens to everybody," Vance said in the interview. 'I've flown off the handle way worse than Elon Musk did in the last 24 hours.' Vance made the comments in an interview with ' manosphere' comedian Theo Von, who last month joked about snorting drugs off a mixed-race baby and the sexuality of men in the U.S. Navy when he opened for Trump at a military base in Qatar. The vice president told Von that as Musk for days was calling on social media for Congress to kill Trump's 'Big Beautiful Bill,' the president was 'getting a little frustrated, feeling like some of the criticisms were unfair coming from Elon, but I think has been very restrained because the president doesn't think that he needs to be in a blood feud with Elon Musk.' 'I actually think if Elon chilled out a little bit, everything would be fine," he added.
