Tesla Cybertruck Head Exits, Adding to Executive Turnover
Departure Marks Another High-Level Change as Tesla Faces Sales Struggles
Key Takeaways:
- Tesla’s head of the Cybertruck program, Siddhant Awasthi, is leaving the company after three years overseeing the pickup’s development and production.
- His departure adds to a series of high-level exits as Tesla faces uneven sales, waning demand and lost U.S. incentives while expanding into new ventures.
- The Cybertruck has struggled with recalls and weak sales since its 2019 debut, and Awasthi has not announced his next role.
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Tesla Inc.’s head of the Cybertruck program is leaving the company, adding to a series of high-level departures this year as the electric-vehicle maker struggles with uneven sales.
, who oversaw the development and ramp-up of the divisive pickup truck, is departing Tesla after three years in that role, he said in a on LinkedIn.
“This decision wasn’t easy, especially with so much exciting growth on the horizon,” Awasthi wrote. He didn’t specify what he’ll do next.
His decision follows a string of executive exits at Tesla, which has grappled with lukewarm consumer demand and the loss of key U.S. incentives while pursuing new business lines around robotaxis and humanoid robots. David Lau, Tesla’s vice president of software engineering, this year left for OpenAI after almost 13 years.
Awasthi joined Tesla as an intern in 2017, quickly rising through the company’s engineering ranks. He also had managed the Model 3 program since July.
The angular and unconventional Cybertruck has been a lightning rod since CEO Elon Musk first unveiled a prototype in 2019. While the pickup has some ardent fans, it’s been a sales disappointment and has had to be recalled multiple times in the past two years.
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