Latest news with #Afshar
Straits Times
3 hours ago
- Automotive
- Straits Times
Top Tesla executive, an Elon Musk confidant, leaves the company, sources say
The latest departure caps a series of executive exits over the past 14 months in Tesla. PHOTO: REUTERS Tesla executive and longtime Elon Musk confidant Omead Afshar has left the electric-vehicle maker, three people familiar with the matter said on June 26, another senior departure as the company grapples with slowing global demand. Mr Afshar was part of the CEO's office and since last year had overseen sales and manufacturing in Europe and North America. After joining Tesla in 2017, he quickly became one of Mr Musk's trusted lieutenants, playing a central role in major projects like the Texas Gigafactory. The sources, who declined to be identified, had no details on the circumstances of his exit or the reason behind it. Mr Afshar posted about Tesla on X early this week, and his profiles on X and LinkedIn still showed his Tesla role as current on June 25. Mr Afshar departed amid slumping demand in Europe and North America for Tesla's ageing vehicle line-up while rivals have offered more affordable alternatives. Two people familiar with Tesla's operations said Mr Afshar was among the executives who took on bigger roles this year when Mr Musk was focused on Washington. Mr Musk led President Donald Trump's government cost-cutting drive this year, and many investors and analysts worried that distracted Mr Musk from Tesla and alienated some potential buyers. Former mid-level Tesla sales manager Matthew LaBrot, who was recently fired for public criticism of Mr Musk, said Mr Afshar was a 'supporting character' closely tied to Mr Musk until he rose to head sales and manufacturing in North America and Europe. Mr LaBrot said there was significant pressure internally to deal with the sales declines, which have been particularly severe in Europe. Mr Afshar's departure was reported earlier by Bloomberg News, which also reported that North America HR Director Jenna Ferrua had exited the company. Two of the three people who confirmed Mr Afshar's departure to Reuters also said Ms Ferrua had left. One of those people said Mr Afshar and Ms Ferrua were close colleagues, so it was not surprising that both left around the same time. Another of the people said Ms Ferrua has served as a direct HR adviser to Mr Afshar. The departure caps a series of executive exits over the past 14 months, driven by restructuring across the company as Tesla slashed thousands of jobs and shifted its focus to AI-powered self-driving technology and robotics. The departures included leaders in robots, batteries and public policy. The head of Tesla's Optimus humanoid robot team, Mr Milan Kovac, announced he was leaving this month, and top battery executive Vineet Mehta did so in May. Chief battery engineer Drew Baglino, Ms Rebecca Tinucci, who led the supercharging division, and global public policy head Rohan Patel left in spring 2024. Mr Musk ended his Washington stint in late May, reassuring some investors concerned about brand damage. But Tesla's shares remain down about 19 per cent for the year, after an initial rise on optimism that Mr Trump's victory would clear the regulatory path for robotaxis. On June 22, Tesla deployed self-driving taxis in Austin, Texas. Some analysts have warned that the company's plan to expand to other cities later this year could face hurdles, due to concerns about safety and the technology. On June 23, Mr Afshar posted on X that the Austin robotaxi debut was an 'absolutely historic day for Tesla', adding: 'Thank you, Elon, for pushing us all!' In the past, Mr Afshar posted about spending holidays and late nights with Mr Musk, particularly when Tesla was ramping up production of the mass-market Model 3 sedan in 2018. He reflected in a March post about 'living in the factory at this time, truly 24/7.' REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Musk reportedly fires Tesla head of operations Omead Afshar
(KRON) — Elon Musk has reportedly fired one of his most longstanding top lieutenants at Tesla. According to a report in Forbes, Musk has ousted Omead Afshar, Tesla's head of operations in North American and Europe amid ongoing declining sales for the EV maker. Afshar, who first joined Tesla in 2011, began overseeing sales and manufacturing for Europe and North America in October of last year. Sales and demand across those two regions have seen a significant drop, in part due to the backlash against Tesla CEO Musk's political activities. AI willing to blackmail, let people die to avoid being shut down: report In a 2024 profile, the Wall Street Journal referred to Afshar as 'Musk's Fixer.' His departure from Tesla represents the biggest indication so far that a shakeup is underway at the EV maker. Tesla sales have declined in the aftermath of Musk's financial backing of the Trump campaign and his close association with the administration through the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). While Musk has since departed Washington, Tesla sales in the U.S., Europe and China are still down. Demand for the Tesla Cybertruck has apparently slowed to such a degree that Tesla reportedly plans to pause production of the vehicle over the week of July 4. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Sign in to access your portfolio
The Star
3 hours ago
- Automotive
- The Star
Top Tesla executive, an Elon Musk confidant, leaves the company, sources say
Tesla Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk gets in a Tesla car as he leaves a hotel in Beijing, China May 31, 2023. REUTERS/Tingshu Wang/File Photo (Reuters) -Tesla executive and longtime Elon Musk confidant Omead Afshar has left the electric-vehicle maker, three people familiar with the matter said on Thursday, another senior departure as the company grapples with slowing global demand. Afshar was part of the CEO's office and since last year had overseen sales and manufacturing in Europe and North America. After joining Tesla in 2017, he quickly became one of Musk's trusted lieutenants, playing a central role in major projects like the Texas Gigafactory. The sources, who declined to be identified, had no details on the circumstances of his exit or the reason behind it. Afshar posted about Tesla on X early this week, and his profiles on X and LinkedIn still showed his Tesla role as current on Wednesday. Afshar departed amid slumping demand in Europe and North America for Tesla's aging vehicle line-up while rivals have offered more affordable alternatives. Two people familiar with Tesla's operations said Afshar was among the executives who took on bigger roles this year when Musk was focused on Washington. Musk led President Donald Trump's government cost-cutting drive this year, and many investors and analysts worried that distracted Musk from Tesla and alienated some potential buyers. Former mid-level Tesla sales manager Matthew LaBrot, who was recently fired for public criticism of Musk, said Afshar was a "supporting character" closely tied to Musk until he rose to head sales and manufacturing in North America and Europe. LaBrot said there was significant pressure internally to deal with the sales declines, which have been particularly severe in Europe. Afshar's departure was reported earlier by Bloomberg News, which also reported that North America HR Director Jenna Ferrua had exited the company. Two of the three people who confirmed Afshar's departure to Reuters also said Ferrua had left. One of those people said Afshar and Ferrua were close colleagues, so it was not surprising that both left around the same time. Another of the people said Ferrua has served as a direct HR adviser to Afshar. The departure caps a series of executive exits over the past 14 months, driven by company-wide restructuring as Tesla slashed thousands of jobs and shifted its focus to AI-powered self-driving technology and robotics. The departures included leaders in robots, batteries and public policy. The head of Tesla's Optimus humanoid robot team, Milan Kovac, announced he was leaving this month, and top battery executive Vineet Mehta did so in May. Chief battery engineer Drew Baglino, Rebecca Tinucci, who led the supercharging division, and global public policy head Rohan Patel left in spring 2024. Musk ended his Washington stint in late May, reassuring some investors concerned about brand damage. But Tesla's shares remain down about 19% for the year, after an initial rise on optimism that Trump's victory would clear the regulatory path for robotaxis. On Sunday, Tesla deployed self-driving taxis in Austin, Texas. Some analysts have warned that the company's plan to expand to other cities later this year could face hurdles, due to concerns about safety and the technology. On Monday, Afshar posted on X that the Austin robotaxi debut was an "absolutely historic day for Tesla," adding: "Thank you, Elon, for pushing us all!" In the past, Afshar posted about spending holidays and late nights with Musk, particularly when Tesla was ramping up production of the mass-market Model 3 sedan in 2018. He reflected in a March post about "living in the factory at this time, truly 24/7." (Reporting by Alexandra Ulmer in Washington, Akash Sriram in Bengaluru, Abhirup Roy in San Francisco, Chris Kirkham in Los Angeles and Rachael Levy in Washington; Editing by Shinjini Ganguli and Cynthia Osterman)
Miami Herald
4 hours ago
- Automotive
- Miami Herald
Amid declining EV sales, Tesla fires vice president of manufacturing
June 26 (UPI) -- Tesla CEO Elon Musk has fired the carmaker's vice president of manufacturing and operations following a falloff in auto sales in the nation's largest markets this year. Omead Afshar oversaw more than a half dozen upper-level employees in the company, including Troy Jones, Tesla's vice president of sales in North America, and Joe Ward, vice president of the Europe, Middle East and Africa region. The firing was first reported by Bloomberg News. Afshar is the second high-level employee to leave the company recently. His termination follows the resignation of Milan Kovac, who was the company's head of its Optimus humanoid robotics program. Kovac said in a post on X that he was leaving Tesla to spend more time with his family. Musk later thanked Kovac publicly for his time with the company. In 2022, Afshar was the subject of an internal investigation at Tesla that focused on his involvement in trying to secure construction materials for a secret project for Musk that included hard-to-get glass. Prior to his job as Tesla vice president, Afshar worked for SpaceX, Musk's aerospace company. Afshar's X account, which had not been updated, said he still works for Tesla, and he praised Musk for his leadership and work ethic following the launch of the company's Robotaxi service in Austin, Texas. "Thank you, Elon, for pushing us all," Afshar wrote. Tesla's stock price has dropped 19% this year, and took an especially hard hit following Musk's association with President Donald Trump, who appointed Musk to oversee the Department of Government Efficiency. DOGE took a broad and aggressive approach to eliminating federal employees, downsizing federal agencies and ending diversity, equity and inclusion programs at some of the nation's largest companies and universities. The company sold fewer cars in 2024 than it did in 2023, the first time sales dropped since Tesla began mass producing EVs. Its profits fell 71% in the first quarter of 2025. European sales dropped 28%, and dropped for a fifth straight month in May. The European Automobile Manufacturers Association said buyers are shifting to cheaper Chinese models. Copyright 2025 UPI News Corporation. All Rights Reserved.
UPI
5 hours ago
- Automotive
- UPI
Amid declining EV sales, Tesla fires vice president of manufacturing
A row of Teslas charge at a Tesla power station (2018). The company announced on Thursday that it sold fewer cars in 2024 than it did in 2023, the first time sales dropped since Tesla began mass producing EVs. Its profits fell 71% in the first quarter of 2025, too. File Photo by Stephen Shaver/UPI | License Photo June 26 (UPI) -- Tesla CEO Elon Musk has fired the carmaker's vice president of manufacturing and operations following a falloff in auto sales in the nation's largest markets this year. Omead Afshar oversaw more than a half dozen upper-level employees in the company, including Troy Jones, Tesla's vice president of sales in North America, and Joe Ward, vice president of the Europe, Middle East and Africa region. The firing was first reported by Bloomberg News. Afshar is the second high-level employee to leave the company recently. His termination follows the resignation of Milan Kovac, who was the company's head of its Optimus humanoid robotics program. Kovac said in a post on X that he was leaving Tesla to spend more time with his family. Musk later thanked Kovac publicly for his time with the company. In 2022, Afshar was the subject of an internal investigation at Tesla that focused on his involvement in trying to secure construction materials for a secret project for Musk that included hard-to-get glass. Prior to his job as Tesla vice president, Afshar worked for SpaceX, Musk's aerospace company. Afshar's X account, which had not been updated, said he still works for Tesla, and he praised Musk for his leadership and work ethic following the launch of the company's Robotaxi service in Austin, Texas. "Thank you, Elon, for pushing us all," Afshar wrote. Tesla's stock price has dropped 19% this year, and took an especially hard hit following Musk's association with President Donald Trump, who appointed Musk to oversee the Department of Government Efficiency. DOGE took a broad and aggressive approach to eliminating federal employees, downsizing federal agencies and ending diversity, equity and inclusion programs at some of the nation's largest companies and universities. The company sold fewer cars in 2024 than it did in 2023, the first time sales dropped since Tesla began mass producing EVs. Its profits fell 71% in the first quarter of 2025. European sales dropped 28%, and dropped for a fifth straight month in May. The European Automobile Manufacturers Association said buyers are shifting to cheaper Chinese models.
