Tesla’s Chairwoman Robyn Denholm complains that everybody is speaking in regards to the high-profile departures on the automaker, however nobody is speaking in regards to the individuals they’re hiring.
Can she title one? Actually, title only one.
At Electrek, now we have been intently reporting on the expertise exodus at Tesla.
The problem has been ongoing for just a few years, however it clearly accelerated following a major wave of layoffs in April 2024.
To call just a few:
- Omead Afshar, Vice President of Gross sales and Manufacturing for North America and Europe, departed in June 2025. Afshar was an in depth confidante of CEO Elon Musk and was instrumental within the ramp-up of Gigafactory Texas.
- Milan Kovac, head of the Optimus humanoid robotic program, introduced his departure in June 2025.
- Drew Baglino, Senior Vice President of Powertrain and Power Engineering, left the corporate in April 2025. An extended-time Tesla veteran, Baglino was a key determine within the improvement of Tesla’s battery and powertrain know-how.
- Rohan Patel, Vice President of Public Coverage and Enterprise Growth, additionally departed in April 2025. Patel was the face of Tesla’s authorities relations and coverage efforts.
- Rebecca Tinucci, Senior Director of the Supercharger enterprise, left in April 2025. Tinucci oversaw the numerous growth of Tesla’s world charging community.
- David Lau, Vice President of Software program Engineering, departed in April 2025. Lau performed a vital position within the improvement of Tesla’s car software program and its Autopilot and Full Self-Driving options.
- Troy Jones, Vice President of North American Gross sales and Service, left in July 2025. Jones was a long-serving govt accountable for a good portion of Tesla’s gross sales and supply operations.
- Pete Bannon, Vice President of {Hardware} Engineering, who was concerned within the improvement of Tesla’s customized chips, together with the Dojo supercomputer, left in August 2025.
Lately, the Monetary Instances launched a report highlighting the expertise exodus at Tesla and Chairwoman, Robyn Denholm, complained that the media solely focuses on the departures and never the individuals “becoming a member of” Tesla, which she described as “nonetheless a magnet for expertise”:
“There are all the time headlines about individuals leaving, however I don’t see the headlines about individuals becoming a member of. Our bench power is excellent . . . we really develop individuals rather well at Tesla and we’re nonetheless a magnet for expertise.”
Nonetheless, she couldn’t title a single one.
To be clear, we primarily report on higher-profile and senior-level departures (administrators and above), however we monitor all of them.
Only for instance, listed below are a dozen individuals at necessary however not senior roles at Tesla who departed during the last month however have been by no means reported:
Basil Sobchak
- Time at Tesla: 10 years, 6 months
- Common Function: Automobile Service Lead
Patrick Barr
- Time at Tesla: 8 years, 7 months
- Common Function: Amenities Upkeep Lead
Luke Sanders
- Time at Tesla: 7 years, 1 month
- Common Function: Manufacturing Administration (Mannequin Y – Fremont)
Indra Ok Vijay
- Time at Tesla: 6 years, 1 month
- Common Function: Software program Engineering Administration
Logan Roy
- Time at Tesla: 5 years, 3 months
- Common Function: Mechanical Engineering (Battery Buildings)
Lexi Hayden
- Time at Tesla: 4 years, 4 months
- Common Function: Technical Program Administration (Semi Validation)
Francisco Fernández
- Time at Tesla: 4 years, 3 months
- Common Function: Provide Chain Administration
Andrew Wells
- Time at Tesla: 3 years, 8 months
- Common Function: Building Administration (Gigafactory Texas)
Aleksi V.
- Time at Tesla: 3 years, 3 months
- Common Function: Manufacturing Administration (Drive Unit & Battery)
Web page Bailey
- Time at Tesla: 2 years, 1 month
- Common Function: Engineering (Manufacturing & Elements)
Sam Thorpe
- Time at Tesla: 2 years, 1 month
- Common Function: Technical Program Administration (Lithium Refinery)
Harika Kasula
- Time at Tesla: 1 12 months, 7 months
- Common Function: Manufacturing Controls Engineering (Cybertruck)
Nonetheless, we can’t produce the identical factor about new hires, not just for the final month, however for the final 12 months.
With all of the departures, Tesla virtually completely promotes internally to fill the place, and the overwhelming majority of recent hires are on the intern and junior ranges.
There’s one a part of Denholm’s assertion that’s correct: Tesla continues to be capable of entice expertise, however solely from latest graduates, and even then, there’s room to fret.
In 2020, Tesla ranked primary in locations the place engineering college students wish to work.
Tesla has now slipped into ninth place this 12 months, based on Universum:
That is clearly nonetheless good, however it’s on a pronounced downtrend.
Electrek’s Take
Look, turnover in massive corporations is completely regular, however the story is way greater than that.
First off, Denholm stays a joke. She is complaining in regards to the media not reporting on new Tesla hires, however the firm hasn’t introduced any new hires in years, and I actually can’t discover any.
If she goes to assert that, she ought to no less than title just a few. Is she able to doing that, or is her whole job about attempting to safe more and more extra ridiculous compensation packages for Elon Musk?
Alternatively, I can discover dozens of vital veteran Tesla staff leaving during the last 12 months and tons of of skilled staff.
The expertise exodus is actual, and the truth that Tesla’s chairwoman is dismissing it ought to be worrying.
We’re referring to most of the people accountable for the corporate’s success, who’re being changed by juniors and interns.
Now, I’m the primary to confess that this isn’t all unhealthy. Recent eyes and younger expertise can do lots, however it doesn’t dismiss the truth that there’s a expertise exodus at Tesla.
