Tesla, Inc. (NASDAQ:TSLA) has experienced a wave of executive departures over the past year as CEO Elon Musk became involved in politics and the company suffered a downturn in sales.
The company has experienced a high rate of executive turnover in the past as well, with notable waves of departures before 2024.
Here’s a look at the most recent wave of departures and some notable executive exits from Tesla’s history.
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Key Recent Departures From Tesla (2024-Present Day)
The recent Tesla exodus has led to questions about the company’s ability to retain top talent and maintain its competitive edge, especially as it shifts focus toward robotics and autonomous driving while facing a downturn in its core automotive business.
- Troy Jones: Tesla's vice president of sales, service and delivery for North America, left the company in July 2025 after a 15-year tenure. His departure comes amid declining sales and increased competition in Tesla's largest market.
- Omead Afshar: Formerly head of North American and European operations and a close confidant of Musk, Afshar was dismissed in June 2025. His exit is seen as a pivotal moment, highlighting governance challenges and a leadership vacuum at Tesla.
- Jenna Ferrua: Head of human resources in North America, recently exited, further contributing to the leadership shakeup.
- Milan Kovac: Led the Optimus humanoid robot program, left in June 2025, signaling technical and strategic challenges in Tesla's robotics ambitions.
- Vineet Mehta: Top battery executive, departed in May 2025, raising concerns about Tesla's ability to maintain its edge in battery innovation.
- Rebecca Tinucci: Senior director of supercharging, left in April 2024 along with her entire team, impacting Tesla's charging infrastructure relationships with other automakers.
- Drew Baglino: Senior vice president and head of engineering and technology development for batteries, resigned in April 2024 after 18 years at Tesla.
- Martin Viecha: Vice president of investor relations, left in April 2024, marking the third high-level exit in two weeks at that time.
- Rohan Patel: Vice president of public policy and business development, also left in early 2024.
Notable Executive Departures (2016–2023)
A significant number of senior leaders have left Tesla often amid production challenges, regulatory scrutiny and questions about the company's long-term profitability. Some of the most prominent departures include:
- Jon McNeill: President of global sales and services, left in February 2018 and became COO of Lyft, Inc. (NASDAQ:LYFT)
- Eric Branderiz: Chief accounting officer, left in March 2018 and became CFO of Enphase Energy, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENPH)
- Jim Keller: Head of autopilot hardware engineering, left in April 2018 and became head of silicon engineering at Intel Corp. (NASDAQ:INTC)
- Sarah O’Brien: Vice president of communications, left in September 2018 and became vide president of executive communications for Facebook at Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META)
- JB Straubel: Chief technology officer, left in July 2019 and continued as an advisor to Tesla
- Deepak Ahuja: Chief financial officer, left in March 2019 and retired
- Sanjay Shah: Senior vice president of energy operations, left in September 2019 and joined Beyond Meat, Inc. (NASDAQ:BYND) as COO.
- Valerie Capers Workman: Head of human resources, left in 2022. Workman was one of Tesla's most senior Black executives and left to join Handshake as chief legal officer.
- Zachary Kirkhorn: Chief financial officer, left in August 2023 with no public reason given for his departure.
Tesla's history of executive turnover is not a recent phenomenon but a persistent feature of its corporate culture, reflecting both the intense demands of its mission and the challenges of working under Musk's leadership.
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