Tesla Reportedly Dismisses Crucial Operations Lead, Accusations Aze
In a recent development, Tesla has reportedly dismissed Omead Afshar, its Vice President of Sales and Manufacturing, who had been overseeing operations in North America and Europe. The decision appears to be primarily driven by declining sales in these key markets and a drop in Tesla's brand popularity.
This news comes as Tesla experiences its fifth consecutive monthly sales drop in Europe and a significant 15% decline in deliveries in China. Afshar, often referred to as "Musk’s fixer," had been promoted last year to lead Tesla’s business across major markets, reporting directly to Elon Musk himself.
Afshar joined Tesla in 2017 as an engineer and worked closely with Musk during the challenging "Model 3 hell" production ramp-up. He is well-known for his hands-on approach and personal dedication, often spending holidays and significant personal occasions with Musk during the production period.
One of Afshar's most notable contributions was during the launch of Tesla's Robotaxi, which he publicly praised as historic on X, a social media platform. He was also instrumental in ensuring the smooth operation of machines during the launch of Giga Texas, with Musk himself reportedly sleeping onsite during the same period.
However, questions have arisen about Afshar's current employment status, as his X and LinkedIn profiles still list him as a Tesla employee. Despite his dismissal, he recently expressed public support for Musk on social media following a Tesla robotaxi launch event, but there is no indication he has joined another company yet.
This high-profile departure at Tesla coincides with other similar departures and occurs at a time when the company’s reputation has been impacted by both market performance and Elon Musk's controversial political positions. As of now, Afshar's reported firing is not confirmed as final. His responsibilities previously belonged to Tom Zhu.
[1] Source: Tesla's internal communications [2] Source: Omead Afshar's social media posts [3] Source: Financial Times [4] Source: Electrek
In this context, the dismissal of Tesla's Vice President, Omead Afshar, who had a significant role in key markets like finance, business, and technology (industry), could potentially impact Tesla's operations moving forward. Given Afshar's influential position, his departure, coinciding with other similar exits and Tesla's current industry challenges, raises questions about the company's future in these critical sectors.
