Musk fires Tesla manufacturing executive. Is his "right-hand man" Afshar becoming the "scapegoat" for the sales slump?

• Tesla CEO Elon Musk fired Omead Afshar, the vice president of manufacturing and operations at the company.
• Afshar's departure came after Tesla experienced year-on-year sales declines in several key markets.
• Before Afshar, Milan Kovac, the head of Tesla's Optimus humanoid robot project, had announced his resignation.

On June 26 local time, Tesla CEO Elon Musk fired Omead Afshar, the vice president of manufacturing and operations at the company. This executive adjustment took place when Tesla's electric vehicle sales in several key markets were facing pressure of year-on-year decline.

Afshar was one of the core members of Tesla's senior management, reporting directly to Musk and leading a team of several senior managers. According to Tesla's internal organizational chart, his team members included Troy Jones, the vice president of North American sales, Joe Ward, the vice president of Europe, the Middle East and Africa, and Karen Steakley, the current head of Tesla's policy and business development - the latter was once the deputy director of legislative affairs for Greg Abbott, the governor of Texas in the United States.

Once Responsible for Musk's Eco-friendly Mansion Project

As an executive who had long followed Musk, Afshar was previously investigated internally for his involvement in a secret project. According to previous reports from foreign media, in 2022, Afshar was investigated for purchasing scarce building materials (including a certain special glass), and the project was allegedly directly related to Musk's personal eco-friendly mansion project. After the investigation, Afshar was temporarily transferred to Musk's space exploration company, SpaceX, and then returned to Tesla and was promoted to the position of vice president.

Although he has been fired, Afshar's personal profile on the social platform X still shows that he is employed by Tesla. This week, he also liked Musk's pilot program for Austin's Robotaxi on the platform, saying, "Thank you, Elon, for leading us to keep breaking through!" As of now, neither Afshar himself nor Tesla's senior management has commented on this report.

Afshar's departure followed the resignation of Milan Kovac, the head of Tesla's Optimus humanoid robot project. Kovac posted on the social media platform X earlier this month that he would resign to accompany his family. Musk then publicly expressed his gratitude for Kovac's work.

Tesla is currently facing multiple challenges. Since the beginning of this year, its stock price has fallen by 19%, far underperforming the Nasdaq index and other large technology stocks. According to data released by the European Automobile Manufacturers' Association (ACEA) this week, Tesla's new car sales in Europe declined for the fifth consecutive month in May this year, and its market share was squeezed by Chinese electric vehicle companies.

In addition to weak sales, Musk's political stance has also had an impact on the Tesla brand. In the past year, the billionaire has frequently caused controversy due to his radical remarks and political donations. It is reported that Musk has invested nearly $300 million to support Trump's re - election campaign and promoted the reduction of the scale of federal agencies. In addition, he publicly supported the far - right anti - immigration party AfD in Germany, which intensified the aversion of some consumers.

This article is from "Tencent Technology", author: Wuji. It is published by 36Kr with authorization.