Tesla's Robotics Vision Presses Forward as Milan Kovac Bids Farewell

Milan Kovac, head of Tesla's humanoid robot project, Optimus, announced his departure, citing family reasons for the decision. In a statement on the social media platform X, Kovac expressed that choosing to leave Tesla was "the hardest decision" of his life, emphasizing his desire to spend more time with his family overseas. Kovac clarified that his decision was unrelated to any issues with Tesla or Elon Musk, expressing unwavering support for both.

Having spent nearly a decade at Tesla, Kovac was the driving force behind many advancements within the company. Initially a core engineer for the Autopilot team, he transitioned to lead the development of the Optimus project in 2022. Under his leadership, Optimus evolved from concept to a functional prototype capable of autonomously operating within Tesla's facilities.

His departure comes as Tesla pushes for rapid commercialization of the Optimus robots. Elon Musk recently indicated that by the end of the year, "thousands" of Optimus robots would be operational in Tesla’s factories. Musk holds an optimistic view that the production scale of Optimus might surpass any historical product, aiming for the ambitious target of annual production reaching one million units.

Following Kovac's exit, Ashok Elluswamy, Tesla's Vice President of AI Software, will oversee the Optimus project. Elluswamy brings a wealth of experience, having previously led Autopilot software development and played a crucial role in several significant advancements in autonomous vehicle technology.

The transition in leadership comes amid Tesla's shifting focus from electric vehicles to exploring broader applications in robotics and autonomous systems. Despite recent challenges faced by Tesla in the EV market, Kovac's departure represents a strategic pivot rather than a setback. Tesla remains committed to advancing its humanoid robotics division, with plans to trial Optimus robots on a production line in Fremont starting in 2025.

Kovac's contributions to Tesla were notable, having laid the foundation for Optimus's engineering and integration with AI technologies, despite initial hurdles. His departure is a personal choice, not indicative of disruption within the project, and Tesla aims to continue progressing in the humanoid robot sector, bolstered by its talented engineering team.