Rows of new Tesla cars appear in a parking area near a customer collection point on April 15, 2024.
Leon Neal | Getty Images
Tesla CEOs Drew Baglino and Rohan Patel announced Monday that they are leaving the electric car maker and clean energy company. CEO Elon Musk thanked each of the departing executives at X, the social network he owns and runs as chief technology officer.
This news comes after Tesla said it would lay off more than 10% of its workforce.
Baglino has been with Tesla since its early years, starting as a firmware and electrical engineer in 2006. He most recently reported directly to Musk as the company's senior vice president of powertrain and power engineering.
Patel joined Tesla in 2016 after serving as a senior advisor to former President Barack Obama on climate and energy issues, among other policy matters.
Reuters recently reported that Tesla has shelved plans to make a new affordable electric car under Musk's direction. The strategic shift includes a greater focus on developing “robot taxis” and comes amid intense competition including from BYD and other Chinese automakers offering affordable electric vehicles.
Patel and Baglino were heavily involved in battery and vehicle manufacturing, related policies, and transforming Tesla into a multinational electric vehicle manufacturer. They have been less involved in Tesla's self-driving vehicle technology
Baglino wrote in a post on X:
“I made the difficult decision to transition from Tesla after 18 years yesterday. I am so grateful to have worked with and learned from countless incredibly talented people at Tesla over the years. I have loved tackling almost every problem we have solved as a team and I feel grateful for my contribution to “The mission of accelerating the transition to sustainable energy is a mission I feel very passionate about.”
Musk responded on stage, saying: “Thank you for everything you do for Tesla. Few people have contributed as much as you have.”
As of Monday morning, Tesla had not yet updated the “driving” information on its company web page to reflect Baglino's departure.
“The last eight years at Tesla have been filled with all sorts of emotions — but the feeling I have today is the utmost gratitude,” Patel wrote in a social media post, adding: “My immigrant parents worked their asses off as workers.” “The bottom line is, I'm the luckiest man to have been part of the @BarackObama campaign/administration, and I'm truly honored to work at @Tesla to make positive change in so many industries.”
Musk responded to Patel, saying: “Thank you for everything you did for Tesla. Much appreciated.”
The CEO also said, in a post on X on Monday, that “about every 5 years, we need to reorganize and streamline the company for the next phase of growth.”
Baglino and Battle were not immediately available for comment.
