Latest news with #TroyJones
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Top Execs Fleeing Tesla as Dark Clouds Grow
Another top executive has quit Tesla as the automaker continues a dicey and high-stakes spiral. The Wall Street Journal reports that Troy Jones, Tesla's vice president of sales, service and delivery in North America — its largest market — suddenly packed his bags after 15 years at the company. It's unclear at this point if the decision was his; at Tesla, heads can roll depending on the whims of CEO Elon Musk. Jones' exit comes during a particularly tumultuous time for the EV brand, which is suffering faltering sales and a plunging stock price as Musk continues to be a deeply polarizing figure with extreme politics. Hinting at turmoil behind the scenes, it's also less than a month after Musk fired one of his closest confidantes, Omead Afshar, who was serving as vice president of manufacturing and operations before getting the axe in June. Afshar, who joined Tesla in 2017 as an engineer, was promoted to the position last October to oversee sales and manufacturing in North America and Europe, two markets where the backlash against Musk's role in the Trump administration has been the most intense. Mere weeks before Afshar's departure, Milan Kovac, who was in charge of Tesla's humanoid robot division Optimus, also left the company. Musk thanked Kovac for his time at Tesla, a courtesy he hasn't extended to others who have recently departed. Jenna Ferrua, a human resources director for North America, also left Tesla around the time of Afshar's departure. There are signs of upheaval at Musk's other ventures, too. Last week, Linda Yaccarino suddenly departed her post as CEO of X, Musk's social media platform. Her decision followed almost immediately after the site's integrated chatbot, Grok, went on racist tirades railing against Black and Jewish people, praising Nazis, and calling itself "MechaHitler." Whatever their reasons for leaving, the ex-Tesla execs bailed a ship that, if it's not outright sinking, is taking on alarming amounts of water. Off the back of its first-ever annual decline in revenue last year, Tesla sales have plunged for five straight months in Europe and in the US plummeted by nine percent in the first three months of 2025. This has been reflected in its stock position, with its shares down by over 15 percent this year. The automaker has been caught in the blast radius of Musk's reputational meltdown, facing mass protests and targeted acts of vandalism in response to his eager gutting of the federal government while working with the Trump administration. But to ascribe Tesla's plight to a mere image problem wouldn't do justice to its heap of other issues. Critics have pointed to its aging vehicle lineup for one reason why sales have dried up, with its recently refreshed Model Y failing to inspire customers — illustrated by the desperate financing deals that Tesla is offering, on top of slashing the vehicle's price. The recent launch of a small-scale robotaxi service in Austin, Texas, meanwhile, hasn't made a convincing case that Musk's vision of boldly staking Tesla's future on offering autonomous cab rides will rake in the trillions of dollars of money that he promised any time soon. And all the while, it's facing steeper competition than ever from Chinese competitors like BYD, which has overtaken Tesla as the largest EV company in the world. More on Tesla: A Clear Sign Just Emerged That Tesla Is Panicking
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Tesla IT exec with no traditional car-sales experience is running sales, sources say
By Rachael Levy (Reuters) -A relatively little-known information technology executive is running Tesla's sales team as the electric carmaker grapples with a sales freefall, according to people familiar with the matter. Raj Jegannathan, a senior executive with a wide purview including several IT and data functions, recently took over the sales role, said the people familiar with the matter. Some inside Tesla (TSLA) have interpreted this to mean that Jegannathan has assumed the role of Troy Jones, Tesla's top sales executive in North America until he departed earlier this month after 15 years with the company, said the people. Jegannathan, who has recently grown closer to CEO Elon Musk, has no traditional sales experience, according to two people familiar with the matter and his LinkedIn profile. Reuters could not determine if it is an interim role. Demand for Tesla's cars in Europe and North America has dropped sharply. Last quarter, its quarterly sales plunged 13% to the weakest in nearly three years, due to a backlash to Musk's politics, Tesla's aging vehicle lineup and increased competition from rivals offering more affordable alternatives. Tesla did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Jones, the latest in a string of high-level departures, managed the fallout as Musk's political affiliation with U.S. President Trump prompted left-leaning consumers to shun Tesla. As Tesla's sales were dropping earlier this year, Jones implored managers to work on selling and pushed back against concerns over political headwinds related to Musk, according to a person who heard the comment. Other key figures who recently left include Musk's confidant Omead Afshar, who was in charge of sales and manufacturing operations in North America and Europe. Jegannathan's expanded role has been interpreted as taking over Afshar's responsibilities as well, some of the people said. Milan Kovac, the head of Tesla's Optimus humanoid robot team, announced he was leaving in June. Other recent departures include top battery executive Vineet Mehta and software chief David Lau. Last year, Tesla faced a wave of high-level departures, including chief battery engineer Drew Baglino and global public policy head Rohan Patel. Jegannathan has spent 13 years at Tesla in technology roles. He joined in 2012 as a senior staff engineer, with responsibilities for internet traffic and cloud security, according to his LinkedIn page. More recently, he has helped develop Tesla's data center effort in Texas, two people familiar with the matter said. His duties have expanded rapidly. Earlier this year, he became a vice president for IT/AI infrastructure, apps and information security, according to his LinkedIn page. In recent months, he has taken over Tesla's vehicle-service operations, according to a person familiar with the matter and Jegannathan's comments on X. Jegannathan was among the Tesla employees seconded to Twitter after Musk's takeover of the company in 2022, according to a person familiar with the matter and a media report.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Exclusive-Tesla IT exec with no traditional car-sales experience is running sales, sources say
By Rachael Levy (Reuters) -A relatively little-known information technology executive is running Tesla's sales team as the electric carmaker grapples with a sales freefall, according to people familiar with the matter. Raj Jegannathan, a senior executive with a wide purview including several IT and data functions, recently took over the sales role, said the people familiar with the matter. Some inside Tesla have interpreted this to mean that Jegannathan has assumed the role of Troy Jones, Tesla's top sales executive in North America until he departed earlier this month after 15 years with the company, said the people. Jegannathan, who has recently grown closer to CEO Elon Musk, has no traditional sales experience, according to two people familiar with the matter and his LinkedIn profile. Reuters could not determine if it is an interim role. Demand for Tesla's cars in Europe and North America has dropped sharply. Last quarter, its quarterly sales plunged 13% to the weakest in nearly three years, due to a backlash to Musk's politics, Tesla's aging vehicle lineup and increased competition from rivals offering more affordable alternatives. Tesla did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Jones, the latest in a string of high-level departures, managed the fallout as Musk's political affiliation with U.S. President Trump prompted left-leaning consumers to shun Tesla. As Tesla's sales were dropping earlier this year, Jones implored managers to work on selling and pushed back against concerns over political headwinds related to Musk, according to a person who heard the comment. Other key figures who recently left include Musk's confidant Omead Afshar, who was in charge of sales and manufacturing operations in North America and Europe. Jegannathan's expanded role has been interpreted as taking over Afshar's responsibilities as well, some of the people said. Milan Kovac, the head of Tesla's Optimus humanoid robot team, announced he was leaving in June. Other recent departures include top battery executive Vineet Mehta and software chief David Lau. Last year, Tesla faced a wave of high-level departures, including chief battery engineer Drew Baglino and global public policy head Rohan Patel. Jegannathan has spent 13 years at Tesla in technology roles. He joined in 2012 as a senior staff engineer, with responsibilities for internet traffic and cloud security, according to his LinkedIn page. More recently, he has helped develop Tesla's data center effort in Texas, two people familiar with the matter said. His duties have expanded rapidly. Earlier this year, he became a vice president for IT/AI infrastructure, apps and information security, according to his LinkedIn page. In recent months, he has taken over Tesla's vehicle-service operations, according to a person familiar with the matter and Jegannathan's comments on X. Jegannathan was among the Tesla employees seconded to Twitter after Musk's takeover of the company in 2022, according to a person familiar with the matter and a media report.
CNA
5 days ago
- Automotive
- CNA
Exclusive-Tesla IT exec with no traditional car-sales experience is running sales, sources say
A relatively little-known information technology executive is running Tesla's sales team as the electric carmaker grapples with a sales freefall, according to people familiar with the matter. Raj Jegannathan, a senior executive with a wide purview including several IT and data functions, recently took over the sales role, said the people familiar with the matter. Some inside Tesla have interpreted this to mean that Jegannathan has assumed the role of Troy Jones, Tesla's top sales executive in North America until he departed earlier this month after 15 years with the company, said the people. Jegannathan, who has recently grown closer to CEO Elon Musk, has no traditional sales experience, according to two people familiar with the matter and his LinkedIn profile. Reuters could not determine if it is an interim role. Demand for Tesla's cars in Europe and North America has dropped sharply. Last quarter, its quarterly sales plunged 13 per cent to the weakest in nearly three years, due to a backlash to Musk's politics, Tesla's aging vehicle lineup and increased competition from rivals offering more affordable alternatives. Tesla did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Jones, the latest in a string of high-level departures, managed the fallout as Musk's political affiliation with U.S. President Trump prompted left-leaning consumers to shun Tesla. As Tesla's sales were dropping earlier this year, Jones implored managers to work on selling and pushed back against concerns over political headwinds related to Musk, according to a person who heard the comment. Other key figures who recently left include Musk's confidant Omead Afshar, who was in charge of sales and manufacturing operations in North America and Europe. Jegannathan's expanded role has been interpreted as taking over Afshar's responsibilities as well, some of the people said. Milan Kovac, the head of Tesla's Optimus humanoid robot team, announced he was leaving in June. Other recent departures include top battery executive Vineet Mehta and software chief David Lau. Last year, Tesla faced a wave of high-level departures, including chief battery engineer Drew Baglino and global public policy head Rohan Patel. Jegannathan has spent 13 years at Tesla in technology roles. He joined in 2012 as a senior staff engineer, with responsibilities for internet traffic and cloud security, according to his LinkedIn page. More recently, he has helped develop Tesla's data center effort in Texas, two people familiar with the matter said. His duties have expanded rapidly. Earlier this year, he became a vice president for IT/AI infrastructure, apps and information security, according to his LinkedIn page. In recent months, he has taken over Tesla's vehicle-service operations, according to a person familiar with the matter and Jegannathan's comments on X. Jegannathan was among the Tesla employees seconded to Twitter after Musk's takeover of the company in 2022, according to a person familiar with the matter and a media report.
Reuters
5 days ago
- Automotive
- Reuters
Exclusive: Tesla IT exec with no traditional car-sales experience is running sales, sources say
July 18 (Reuters) - A relatively little-known information technology executive is running Tesla's (TSLA.O), opens new tab sales team as the electric carmaker grapples with a sales freefall, according to people familiar with the matter. Raj Jegannathan, a senior executive with a wide purview including several IT and data functions, recently took over the sales role, said the people familiar with the matter. Some inside Tesla have interpreted this to mean that Jegannathan has assumed the role of Troy Jones, Tesla's top sales executive in North America until he departed earlier this month after 15 years with the company, said the people. Jegannathan, who has recently grown closer to CEO Elon Musk, has no traditional sales experience, according to two people familiar with the matter and his LinkedIn profile. Reuters could not determine if it is an interim role. Demand for Tesla's cars in Europe and North America has dropped sharply. Last quarter, its quarterly sales plunged 13% to the weakest in nearly three years, due to a backlash to Musk's politics, Tesla's aging vehicle lineup and increased competition from rivals offering more affordable alternatives. Tesla did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Jones, the latest in a string of high-level departures, managed the fallout as Musk's political affiliation with U.S. President Trump prompted left-leaning consumers to shun Tesla. As Tesla's sales were dropping earlier this year, Jones implored managers to work on selling and pushed back against concerns over political headwinds related to Musk, according to a person who heard the comment. Other key figures who recently left include Musk's confidant Omead Afshar, opens new tab, who was in charge of sales and manufacturing operations in North America and Europe. Jegannathan's expanded role has been interpreted as taking over Afshar's responsibilities as well, some of the people said. Milan Kovac, the head of Tesla's Optimus humanoid robot team, announced he was leaving in June. Other recent departures include top battery executive Vineet Mehta and software chief David Lau. Last year, Tesla faced a wave of high-level departures, including chief battery engineer Drew Baglino and global public policy head Rohan Patel. Jegannathan has spent 13 years at Tesla in technology roles. He joined in 2012 as a senior staff engineer, with responsibilities for internet traffic and cloud security, according to his LinkedIn page. More recently, he has helped develop Tesla's data center effort in Texas, two people familiar with the matter said. His duties have expanded rapidly. Earlier this year, he became a vice president for IT/AI infrastructure, apps and information security, according to his LinkedIn page. In recent months, he has taken over Tesla's vehicle-service operations, according to a person familiar with the matter and Jegannathan's comments on X. Jegannathan was among the Tesla employees seconded to Twitter after Musk's takeover of the company in 2022, according to a person familiar with the matter and a media report.
