Musk fires Tesla's head of operations amid declining sales
What's the story
Elon Musk has fired Omead Afshar, Tesla's head of manufacturing and operations for North America and Europe. The news was first reported by Forbes and later confirmed by CNBC and Bloomberg. Afshar's departure comes after Milan Kovac, the engineering lead for Tesla's Optimus robot, also left the company earlier this month.
Departure details
Afshar's exit amid declining sales in Europe and China
Afshar, who was promoted to his current role last year, had been with Musk's companies since 2017. His exit comes as Tesla struggles with declining sales in Europe for the fifth consecutive month. The European Automobile Manufacturers's Association found that new Tesla registrations fell by nearly 41% in May. The company is also facing a similar situation in China, where sales dropped by 15% during the same month.
Public perception
Musk blamed for Tesla's declining sales
Amid Afshar's departure, many believe the real issue lies with Musk himself. His financial support for Donald Trump's re-election campaign, aggressive cost-cutting measures after his election, and controversial public behavior have all hurt Tesla's sales. Unlike SpaceX which still benefits from government contracts, Tesla's sales are heavily influenced by public opinion. This has been exploited by the "Tesla takedown" movement which has staged protests outside Tesla dealerships.
Career trajectory
Afshar's role at Tesla and robotaxis' performance in Austin
Afshar joined Tesla in 2017 and quickly rose through the ranks to become one of Musk's most trusted lieutenants. He played a key role in major projects, including the construction of the Texas Gigafactory. Just days before his departure, he had shared updates on Tesla's Robotaxis performance in Austin, calling it an "absolutely historic day for Tesla." Despite safety officers monitoring vehicles' behavior during limited rollouts, some Robotaxis experienced glitches and even violated local traffic laws.