Rows of new Tesla cars are seen in a waiting area near a customer collection point on April 15, 2024 in London, England.
Leon Neal | Getty Images
You’re here executives Drew Baglino and Rohan Patel announced Monday that they are leaving the electric vehicle maker and clean energy company. CEO Elon Musk thanked the two departing executives of X, formerly Twitter, the social network he owns and leads as CTO.
The news comes after Tesla announced it was laying off more than 10% of its workforce.
Baglino had worked at Tesla since its beginnings, starting as a firmware and electrical engineer in 2006. He most recently reported directly to Musk as the company’s senior vice president for powertrain and energy engineering.
Patel joined Tesla in 2016 after working as a senior advisor to former President Obama on climate and energy issues, among other policy issues.
Reuters recently reported that Tesla had shelved plans to make a new, more affordable electric vehicle under Musk’s leadership. This change in strategy places more emphasis on the development of a “robot taxi” and comes in a context of strong competition, particularly from BYD and other Chinese automakers offering more affordable electric cars.
Patel and Baglino have been deeply involved in battery and vehicle manufacturing, related policy, and Tesla’s transformation into a multinational electric vehicle manufacturer. At Tesla, they were less involved in autonomous vehicle technology.
Baglino wrote in a post on X:
“I made the difficult decision to leave Tesla after 18 years yesterday. I am very grateful to have worked with and learned from the countless incredibly talented people at Tesla over the years. I have loved tackling almost every issue we We resolved as a team and I feel happy to have contributed to the mission of accelerating the transition to sustainable energy, a mission that I am very passionate about.
Musk responded on the platform: “Thank you for everything you have done for Tesla. Few have contributed as much as you.”
As of Monday morning, Tesla had not yet updated the “leadership” information on its corporate webpage to reflect Baglino’s departure.
Patel wrote in a message on the social network, “The last 8 years at Tesla have been filled with every emotion – but the feeling I have today is the greatest gratitude”, adding that “My immigrant parents worked hard hard work and as a result I’m the luckiest guy to have been a part of. @Barack Obamacampaign/administration of, and truly honored to have worked on @You’re here to positively change several sectors.
Musk responded to Patel, saying, “Thank you for everything you’ve done for Tesla. Much appreciated.”
The CEO also said in an article on »
Baglino and Patel were not immediately available for comment.
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