Tesla Appoints Omead Afshar as New Executive with Musk's Trust

Tesla CEO Elon Musk has appointed Omead Afshar, a former colleague from the CEO's office, to a vice president role overseeing sales and manufacturing operations. The move reflects Musk's tendency to rely on trusted associates in strategic positions within the company.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk's leadership style has been well-documented. Known for his penchant for relying on trusted associates in strategic positions, Musk has made another notable move. He recently appointed Omead Afshar, a former colleague from his office, as Vice President overseeing sales and manufacturing operations [1].

Afshar, who previously worked closely with Musk as the Office of the CEO, has an impressive track record with Tesla. He played a key role in the construction of Gigafactory Texas and later joined SpaceX in late 2022, where he is currently working on the Starship deep space rocket [1].

This appointment reflects Musk's tendency to promote from within. Afshar's experience, combined with his close relationship with Musk, makes him an ideal candidate to lead Tesla's sales and manufacturing operations.

Musk's reliance on trusted associates is not a new phenomenon. The CEO has a history of working closely with top executives like Andrew Baglino, Senior Vice President for Powertrain and Energy Engineering, and Tom Zhu, Senior Vice President, Automotive. Baglino, who is also Tesla's most senior engineer behind Musk, has been with the company for nearly 18 years [1].

Afshar's appointment also highlights the fluid nature of executive roles at Tesla. For instance, Baglino is considered a top candidate to succeed Musk as CEO [1]. Meanwhile, some of Musk's closest advisors, like JB Straubel, who was CTO of Tesla for nearly 16 years, have left the company but remain involved, sitting on the board [1].

In summary, Tesla's organizational structure continues to evolve under Elon Musk's leadership. The appointment of Omead Afshar as Vice President overseeing sales and manufacturing operations is a testament to Musk's tendency to rely on trusted associates and promote from within.

References:
[1] Fortune. (2023, November 20). Tesla's Organizational Structure: Elon Musk and the Top Executives. Fortune. https://fortune.com/2023/11/20/tesla-organizational-structure-elon-musk-top-executives/