Tesla appoints disputed new chief for Europe in executive overhaul

Elon Musk has promoted Omead Afshar, previously seen as his “chief of staff” at Tesla, to a high-ranking executive role, marking a significant leadership change at the automaker. Afshar, who faced controversy in 2022, now assumes the position of Vice President of Operations in North America and Europe, overseeing Tesla’s sales and manufacturing in these key regions.

Afshar’s journey at Tesla has been anything but conventional. With a background in biomedical engineering, he joined Musk’s inner circle in 2017 after brief stints in the medical industry. When Musk’s longtime chief of staff, Sam Teller, left in 2019, Afshar was widely perceived to take on that role, leading several high-profile projects, including the construction of Tesla’s Gigafactory in Texas.

Glass houses demand carefulness

Despite his growing influence, Afshar’s career at Tesla hit a roadblock in 2022 when, according to The New York Post, he was involved in a controversial order for “special glass” related to a secret project. Tesla’s finance department flagged the order as suspicious, triggering an internal investigation.

While several employees were fired, Afshar was reportedly moved to SpaceX during the probe to protect him. The project was later linked to Musk’s rumored plans to build a glass house, a story confirmed in Walter Isaacson’s biography of Musk, though the house was never built.

Now back at Tesla, Afshar has been promoted to oversee operations in North America and Europe, according to The Wall Street Journal. His new role places him among Tesla’s top executives, alongside CEO Elon Musk, CFO Vaibhav Taneja, and Tom Zhu, who leads the EV maker’s operations in China. Afshar’s responsibilities include managing Tesla’s sales, manufacturing, and operational strategies in two of its most crucial markets.

Afshar is now in a critical position to help Tesla in its growth trajectory in North America and Europe, where the company has faced slower-than-expected registration rates and increased competition.

While the company’s global deliveries have continued to grow, market conditions in both the US and the EU have become more cumbersome, and Tesla’s global price war has started impacting its financials. Afshar will be tasked with navigating these headwinds while maintaining the brand’s reputation for innovation and operational efficiency.

“Elon Whisperer”

Afshar has been nicknamed “Elon whisperer” for his ability to read the flamboyant entrepreneur’s mood. He has helped his boss through some of the toughest pitfalls of scaling up production at several Tesla factories.

His promotion is part of a more extensive leadership overhaul at Tesla. The EV maker has lost several key figures, including CFO Zach Kirkhorn, who left in the summer of 2023 after 13 years with the company. Additionally, Rebecca Tinucci, the former head of Tesla’s Supercharger team, made headlines earlier this year when she was suspended, later joining Uber.

Despite these departures, Musk has continued to promote from within. Ashok Elluswamy, the long-time head of software for Tesla’s Autopilot and Full Self-Driving (FSD) programs, has been elevated to Vice President of Autopilot and AI software.

Milan Kovac, another key figure in Tesla’s autonomous driving efforts, has been promoted to Vice President of Optimus, Tesla’s humanoid robot program.