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Gizmodo
02-07-2025
- Automotive
- Gizmodo
Elon Musk Adds ‘Sell Cars in Europe' to His To-Do List
Elon Musk has always worn a lot of hats. Earlier this year, while he was working at the White House, he literally wore several hats on his head at the same time, in a clownish attempt to make this very point to other Trump officials. Even though the billionaire has since parted ways with the administration and is in the midst of an acrimonious spat with the President, he is still keeping busy. Now, he's reportedly given himself a new job just as he pledged to launch a new political party, thus keeping the whole hats-on-hats thing going. Last week, multiple outlets reported that Musk had fired Omead Afshar, the head of Tesla's sales and manufacturing operations in North America and Europe. The alleged expulsion (Tesla never confirmed what had happened, and didn't respond to Gizmodo's request for comment) came amidst a dramatic downturn in the EV company's business. Tesla sales in Europe and the U.S. have been dropping like a stone over the past few months, as backlash against Musk's political activities and increased competition from other EV brands do serious damage to Tesla's brand and bottom line. Now, Musk appears to have given himself Afshar's job. Bloomberg reports that Musk has 'assumed oversight of sales in Europe and the US.' The outlet notes that Musk and Tom Zhu, Tesla's deputy and senior vice president for Asia, are now 'divvying up' Afshar's former responsibilities amongst themselves. At the same time, Zhu has reportedly been promoted to oversee Tesla's manufacturing operations globally, the outlet reports. Just how many of Afshar's responsibilities Zhu will take and how many Musk will bear is anybody's guess. Again, Musk giving himself this new position seems like a particularly bizarre choice, given the widely held perception that it is Musk, himself, that has inspired a downturn in Tesla sales—particularly in Europe. Musk spent the first part of this year mucking around in European politics—using his platform, X, to take shots at European leaders (like Britain's prime minister, Keir Starmer) and to spread alarm and misinformation. At the same time, Musk's role in the Trump administration (with DOGE) has also inspired backlash. Recent statistics show that Tesla sales have been dropping by double digits across the EU. At the same time that Musk has given himself a new job, he is also toying with continuing his foray into politics—another hilarious decision, given how poorly his recent efforts have fared. In recent days, Musk has claimed that he would like to launch a new political party in the U.S., should Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill be signed into law. Musk and Trump—who were considered best 'buddies' and political colleagues only a few months ago—have been feuding over the contents of the bill, which includes a nixing of the EV tax credit that formerly helped fuel Tesla's rise. In retaliation for Elon's criticism of the bill, Trump has threatened to cut off federal support for Musk's companies, including Tesla and SpaceX. If Musk doesn't get his way, his new plan is to launch an 'America Party,' as well as to use his financial largesse to primary 'nearly every single Republican in Congress,' the New York Times has reported. 'If this insane spending bill passes, the America Party will be formed the next day,' Musk posted to X on Monday. 'Our country needs an alternative to the Democrat-Republican uniparty so that the people actually have a VOICE.' It's so far unclear what Musk's 'America Party' might look like, although Newsweek has gone as far as to heavily speculate about it. They predict that the billionaire might attempt to craft a new political consensus that coheres around his own interests. Of course, all of this may be bullshit, since another thing that Musk is very good at (aside from giving himself a lot of really impressive job titles) is vowing to do stuff that he never actually does. His corporate career is littered with dumb promises that have never come to pass. It doesn't seem unreasonable to assume that his political career will be any different.
Bloomberg
01-07-2025
- Automotive
- Bloomberg
Musk Takes Charge of Tesla Sales While Trump Tensions Build
Good morning. Elon Musk confronts Tesla's sales drop—and a US president's animosity. The world's richest person under age 40 is all-in on green investing. Step right up to the latest shoe trend, a combination sneaker and loafer. Listen to the day's top stories. The fight never ends for Elon Musk, who's battling a Tesla sales slump on one front and a testy relationship with Donald Trump on the other. The CEO is said to have taken control of Tesla's sales in Europe and the US after the exit of a key confidant, with China-based Tom Zhu remaining head of Asia sales and overseeing manufacturing globally. The EV maker is poised to report an estimated 389,400 deliveries for the June quarter on Wednesday, a 12% drop from a year earlier that comes as broader US auto sales lose momentum. Trump threatened to examine South Africa-born Musk's immigration status as tensions between the former allies grow. A trade deal with Japan is unlikely, the president said, adding that he expects it to pay a tariff rate of ' whatever the number is that we determine ' and that there will be no extension to his July 9 deadline. He's deepened his criticism of Tokyo for not accepting US rice exports and for imbalanced auto trade between the two nations. His Treasury chief, Scott Bessent, told Fox News he's hopeful China will increase exports of rare earth magnets to the US and that a trade deal with India is 'very close.'
Bloomberg
01-07-2025
- Business
- Bloomberg
Musk Retakes Control of Tesla Europe
Elon Musk has taken oversight of sales in Europe and the US, while Tom Zhu will oversee Asia, following the departure of Omead Afshar. (Source: Bloomberg)
Bloomberg
01-07-2025
- Automotive
- Bloomberg
Musk Will Oversee Tesla's Europe, US Sales After Afshar Exit
Tesla Inc. Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk has assumed oversight of sales in Europe and the US, leaving deputy and senior vice president Tom Zhu over Asia, following the high profile departure of Omead Afshar, people familiar with the matter said. Afshar had been responsible for sales and manufacturing operations in North America and Europe but the longtime Musk lieutenant left the EV maker last month, the latest senior executive to exit during a difficult time for Tesla as it battles falling sales in most of its major markets.
Yahoo
26-06-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Musk Confidant Afshar Leaves Tesla in Latest High-Level Exit
(Bloomberg) -- Omead Afshar, a powerful executive at Tesla Inc. and one of Elon Musk's closest confidants, has left the company, according to people familiar with the matter, the latest high-level departure during a volatile period for the electric vehicle maker. US Renters Face Storm of Rising Costs US State Budget Wounds Intensify From Trump, DOGE Policy Shifts Mapping the Architectural History of New York's Chinatown Squeezed by Crowds, the Roads of Central Park Are Being Reimagined Commuters Are Caught in Johannesburg's Taxi Feuds as Transit Lags News of the exit has circulated internally among some employees in recent days, said the people, who asked not to be identified discussing internal information. Afshar's name no longer appeared to show up in an internal directory, two of the people said. The reason for the change and his future plans weren't immediately clear. Some of the directors who reported to Afshar now report to Tom Zhu, Tesla's senior vice president of automotive, according to some of the people. The Chinese-born executive oversees Tesla's factory in Shanghai and is one of the company's three named executive officers. Afshar, Musk, Zhu and Tesla didn't immediately respond to requests for comment. Afshar, who has worked in the office of the CEO, was promoted last year to oversee sales and manufacturing operations in North America and Europe. Those markets have become particular pain points for the automaker recently, with sales plunging due to rising competition and a consumer backlash to Musk's role in US President Donald Trump's administration. This marks the latest departure of a prominent Tesla leader in recent weeks. Milan Kovac, the head of engineering for the company's Optimus humanoid robot program, stepped down citing a desire to spend more time with his family. Jenna Ferrua, who is listed on LinkedIn as a human resources director for North America, has also left Tesla and no longer appears to be in the company directory, according to people familiar. The personnel changes punctuate a tumultuous year for Tesla, whose shares have tumbled about 19% while demand has waned for its EV models and Musk has spent time in Washington. The chief executive officer is trying to reorient the company around artificial intelligence, robots and driverless cars, recently rolling out a small number of Tesla's long-promised robotaxis in Austin. Tesla is expected to report global delivery results for the second quarter next week. Its shares briefly turned negative after Bloomberg reported Afshar's departure, and were little changed as of 1:57 p.m. in New York. Tesla Tenure Afshar joined Tesla in 2017, according to his LinkedIn profile, as the carmaker was beginning to ramp up production of the Model 3 sedan. 'I was with Elon nearly every single day during Model 3 hell,' he said in a 2024 post on X, the social media platform that Musk owns. 'This included Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's Eve, his birthday and nearly missing his brother's wedding.' Afshar was posting regularly on social media in recent days, including several messages this week praising the robotaxi launch. The executive oversaw the construction of Tesla's plant in Austin. A member of the office of the CEO since 2017, his most recent job title was listed on his LinkedIn page as a cowboy hat emoji. He came under internal scrutiny in 2022 for his role in purchasing hard-to-get construction materials, including a special kind of glass, Bloomberg reported. It's not unusual for executives to shuffle from one part of Musk's empire to another, and Afshar worked at SpaceX for a time. Tesla has just three named executive officers: Musk, Chief Financial Officer Vaibhav Taneja and Zhu. --With assistance from Kara Carlson and Craig Trudell. (Updates shares, adds directors reporting to Zhu from the third paragraph. ) How to Steal a House Inside Gap's Last-Ditch, Tariff-Addled Turnaround Push Apple Test-Drives Big-Screen Movie Strategy With F1 America's Top Consumer-Sentiment Economist Is Worried Luxury Counterfeiters Keep Outsmarting the Makers of $10,000 Handbags ©2025 Bloomberg L.P.
