Automakers shuffle executives around all the time, but it becomes a bigger story when the person being shuffled is a close associate of the CEO and is ousted after just a few months. That’s the case with Tesla’s head of U.S. and European manufacturing, who was removed from his role after only nine months on the job.
Tesla reportedly fired Omead Ashfar outright, but as things with the automaker typically go, no one has commented on or confirmed the story. The company has seen a significant drop in sales in several markets, but Ashfar’s social media presence made it appear that he was close enough to Musk to avoid fallout from the problems.
Of course, anyone can make up anything on social media, so we have to be careful not to fall too hard for appearances here. That said, the Wall Street Journal called Ashfar “Musk’s fixer” in a profile last year and noted that he was one of Tesla’s most powerful executives.
In posts on X last year, Ashfar gushed about CEO Elon Musk’s work habits and made posts praising the controversial executive. Musk recently left his role in the federal government to retake a more prominent position at Tesla amid its difficulties, and while Ashfar’s firing may be a necessary step in his mind, it draws attention to the fact that Musk may need to make more painful choices to right the ship.
[Images: Tesla]
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