Tesla has reportedly lost one of its most powerful executives, with Omead Afshar—head of North American sales and European operations—leaving the company following a prolonged sales slump in key markets. Omead, widely regarded as one of Elon’s closest confidants and described by industry publications as Tesla’s “fixer,” had been promoted to oversee these critical regions just last October.
The departure represents another high-profile exit during what has been a turbulent period for Tesla, with the company’s stock declining more than 13% year-to-date. While Tesla hasn’t officially confirmed Omead’s exit, reports indicate his name has been removed from internal employee directories, and news of his departure has circulated among Tesla staff in recent days.
Omead’s exit comes as Tesla faces significant headwinds in European markets, where sales plunged 28% in May according to the European Automobile Manufacturers Association. Marked the fifth consecutive month of declines as Tesla cedes market share to Chinese competitors like BYD and other emerging electric vehicle manufacturers.
The European sales decline has put particular pressure on Tesla’s international operations, which Omead directly oversaw. His responsibilities included managing both sales strategy and manufacturing coordination across these regions, making the timing of his departure particularly notable given the market challenges.
The loss of Omead adds to a growing list of executive departures that began with company-wide restructuring efforts last year. Tesla eliminated thousands of positions while reorienting its focus toward artificial intelligence-based self-driving technology and robotics initiatives.
Previous departures include CFO Zach Kirkhorn, chief battery engineer Drew Baglino, Supercharging division head Rebecca Tinucci, and Milan Kovac, who led engineering on the Optimus robot project. Exits reflect the broader organizational changes as Tesla transitions from primarily a vehicle manufacturer to a technology company focused on AI world model (vision + neural nets) systems.
As recently as Tuesday, Omead had publicly promoted Tesla’s Robotaxi progress in Austin, through X posts. On Monday, he characterized the Robotaxi rollout as an “absolutely historic day for Tesla,” expressing gratitude to Musk for his leadership: “This has been years of hard work and focus by so many people within the company. Thank you, Elon, for pushing us all!”
These statements, made just days before reports of his departure surfaced, highlight the sudden nature of the executive change and raise questions about the circumstances surrounding his exit.
Tesla will report second-quarter delivery numbers next week, an announcement that investors will scrutinize closely given the recent European sales challenges and executive departures. Tesla’s performance in key international markets will likely influence investor confidence as Tesla navigates both operational challenges and leadership transitions.
Elon has yet to address Afshar’s status publicly, despite frequently using his X platform to provide business updates. Silence regarding such a significant personnel change is unusual for the typically communicative CEO.
With Tesla facing mounting competitive pressure in Europe and ongoing executive turnover, the company must demonstrate operational stability while advancing its autonomous vehicle ambitions. As Tesla continues to navigate these challenges, investors and industry observers will watch closely to see whether the company can maintain its market position without some of its most experienced leaders—or if this departure signals that even Tesla’s most trusted fixers can’t solve every problem.
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