Top executives depart Tesla after months of turmoil and sales slump

Several other Tesla higher-ups have left the company in the past year.

Milan Kovac, a vice president of engineering who oversaw Tesla’s development of its humanoid robot Optimus, announced his departure in June.

“This week, I’ve had to make the most difficult decision of my life and will be moving out of my position. I’ve been far away from home for too long, and will need to spend more time with family abroad,” Kovac, who had worked at the company for more than nine years, wrote on X at the time.

He added: “I want to make it clear that this is the only reason, and has absolutely nothing to do with anything else. My support for @elonmusk and the team is ironclad - Tesla team forever.”

Jenna Ferrura, Tesla’s director of human resources for North America, has also left. Bloomberg reported in June, citing people familiar with the matter, Ferrura no longer appeared in the company directory.

Omead Afshar, who oversaw sales and manufacturing operations in North America and Europe, has departed the company as well.

Forbes reported in June, citing people familiar with the matter, Afshar was fired by Musk after being promoted to his position in October. Bloomberg called Afshar one of Musk’s “closest confidants,” working at the company since 2017.

The E-suite shakeups come during a rough few months for Tesla. Musk made waves among a key demographic of EV buyers when he led President Donald Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency. Musk left the White House in late May, and his relationship with Trump quickly soured.

There have been protests at Tesla dealerships and even some cases of attacks on property at car showrooms and lots, charging stations and involving privately owned Tesla cars.

Against this backdrop, Tesla’s global vehicle sales dropped 13.5 percent in the second fiscal quarter of 2025, the Journal reported earlier this month.

The company reported worse-than-expected Tesla deliveries. There were 384,122 Tesla vehicles delivered in the second quarter, off the 387,000 estimate from analysts, according to FactSet.

Tesla’s stock has also significantly decreased over the past six months. The stock was at around $413 per share on January 16, compared to about $308 per share on Tuesday, according to MarketWatch.

The company has been trying to entice customers with an updated Model Y midsize SUV and a cheaper version of its Cybertruck.

June was a particularly big month for Tesla as the company unveiled new versions of its Model S and Model X luxury cars and launched a pilot of its robotaxi service in Austin.