Tesla CEO Elon Musk talks to media as he arrives to visit the construction site of the future US electric car giant Tesla, on September 03, 2020 in Gruenheide near Berlin. ” width=”970″ height=”684″ data-caption=’Elon Musk visits the construction site of Tesla’s Gigafactory in Berlin. <span class=”media-credit”>ODD ANDERSEN/AFP via Getty Images</span>’>
It’s hard to picture Tesla without Elon Musk, whose long-standing leadership and public persona are nearly inseparable from the company. But behind the billionaire CEO is a powerful bench of executives driving Tesla’s expansive operations—from car manufacturing and charging infrastructure to self-driving software and humanoid robots. Founded in 2003 by engineers Martin Eberhard and Marc Tarpenning, Tesla has since grown into the world’s most valuable carmaker by market capitalization.
Though Musk leads or owns several other companies—including SpaceX, The Boring Company, X and xAI—Tesla remains his most closely associated venture. He has led it for 17 years and recently signaled plans to step back from a government advisory role to focus more fully on the company. Still, Tesla’s day-to-day operations rely heavily on a cadre of senior leaders. Here are some of the top executives steering the EV giant today:
Elon Musk, CEO
Musk’s involvement with Tesla began in 2004, when he invested $6.35 million in the company during a Series A funding round. The entrepreneur, who had formerly co-founded PayPal and Zip2, officially became chief executive in 2008. He’s overseen the EV maker through a variety of tumultuous periods and twice saved it from the brink of bankruptcy amid the 2008 financial crisis and production rollout of the Model 3 between 2017 and 2019.
More recently, Musk’s rising political influence has spurred public backlash against Tesla, with investors suggesting the CEO either find a replacement to lead Tesla or step away from his work with U.S. President Donald Trump—calls that seemingly worked, with Musk reiterating his commitment to Tesla last month. All in all, Tesla has helped make Musk the wealthiest person in the world with an estimated net worth of $418.7 billion.
Vaibhav Taneja, chief financial officer
Before joining Tesla, Taneja worked at another Musk-affiliated company. He spent nearly 17 years at PricewaterhouseCoopers before taking on finance and accounting roles at SolarCity, the solar energy firm founded by Musk’s cousins and acquired by Tesla in 2016. Taneja steadily advanced through Tesla’s financial ranks, serving as assistant corporate controller, corporate controller and chief accounting officer before being named CFO in 2023. That same year, he received a $139 million pay package—the largest awarded to a chief financial officer in nearly two decades.
Tom Zhu, senior vice president of automotive
Zhu is one of Tesla’s highest-ranking executives, overseeing global manufacturing, sales and delivery operations. He joined the company in 2014 following a stint at Chinese project management firm Kaibo Engineering Group, beginning his Tesla career in China and playing a key role in the construction of the Shanghai Gigafactory. In 2023, Zhu was promoted to senior vice president of automotive and relocated to Tesla’s U.S. headquarters in Austin, before reportedly returning to China last year amid an internal restructuring. Known for his problem-solving prowess, Zhu has earned the nickname “the fireman” inside the company, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Omead Afshar, vice president of North American and European operations
Afshar joined Tesla in 2017 as a project manager in the CEO’s office after working in the medical device industry. He later became project director and, in 2020, was promoted to senior director of Tesla’s Austin Gigafactory—a role he cheekily sums up on LinkedIn with a cowboy emoji.
In 2022, Afshar stepped back from day-to-day Tesla operations following an internal investigation into Project 42, a glass-walled structure allegedly intended as a residence for Musk—an allegation the CEO has denied. During this period, Afshar became more involved in other Musk ventures, including SpaceX and X.
His Tesla profile has since rebounded, now overseeing the company’s operations in North America and Europe. Known for his close rapport with Musk, he’s reportedly earned the nickname “the Musk whisperer.”
Lars Moravy, vice president of vehicle engineering
Moravy has served as Tesla’s vice president of vehicle engineering for the past six years, leading a team of over 2,000 engineers responsible for hardware design, development, testing, automation and manufacturing. He has worked on every major Tesla model, including the Model S, Model X, Model 3, Model Y, Cybertruck and the upcoming Robotaxi.
Moravy joined Tesla more than 15 years ago, contributing to vehicle frame development. Prior to that, he spent eight years at Honda R&D. On a recent episode of the Ride the Lightning podcast, he said he made the leap to Tesla because it combined his passion for automobiles and environmental impact.
Brandon Ehrhart, general counsel and corporate secretary
Tesla appointed Ehrhart as general counsel and corporate secretary in 2023. He previously spent two decades in the telecommunications industry, most notably at DISH Network, where he served as general counsel for DISH Wireless. His legal background also includes roles at EchoStar Corporation and as an associate at DLA Piper.
At Tesla, Ehrhart leads a legal team that, according to a past LinkedIn post, aims to manage “all aspects of litigation and trial work, including briefings, hearings, discovery, depositions and trials, completely in-house.”
Franz von Holzhausen, senior design executive
Von Holzhausen brings decades of experience in automotive design to Tesla. Before joining the company, he worked on high-profile projects such as the Volkswagen New Beetle and held design positions at General Motors and Mazda. He became Tesla’s senior design executive in 2008 and has since led design efforts for every major model, including the Model S, Model X, Model 3, Model Y, Cybertruck and the second-generation Roadster.
Ashok Elluswamy, vice president of A.I. software
Elluswamy leads Tesla’s A.I. software division, a key area the company expects to expand. He has headed the team since October 2024 and, according to his LinkedIn, is focused on “anything and everything required to get self-driving 4-wheeled robots driving widely.” His previous work includes developing Tesla’s in-house computer vision system and applying A.I. to tackle complex autonomous driving challenges.
Elluswamy joined Tesla in 2014 and was later praised by Musk as the company’s first official hire for the A.I. and Autopilot team. “Without him and our awesome team, we would just be another car company looking for an autonomy supplier that doesn’t exist,” Musk wrote on X last year.
Michael Snyder, vice president of energy and charging
Snyder began his Tesla career in 2014 as a staff electrical engineer and steadily rose through the ranks of the company’s energy division. He previously served as senior director of megapack production and business before being promoted in 2024 to vice president of energy and charging. In this role, he oversees Tesla’s integrated sustainable energy ecosystem, which includes solar, storage and charging infrastructure.
Before joining Tesla, Snyder worked at engineering and energy companies including HDR, SunPower Corporation and Flack + Kurtz.
Laurie Shelby, vice president of environment, health and safety
Shelby has led Tesla’s environment, health and safety (EHS) operations since 2017, overseeing workplace safety and compliance efforts for more than 100,000 employees across automotive, energy and delivery divisions. One of Tesla’s most senior female executives, she brings decades of experience in industrial safety. Prior to Tesla, she spent 17 years at Alcoa and held key roles at Reynold Metals, Radian Corporation and Dominion Virginia Power.
Karn Budhiraj and Roshan Thomas, vice presidents of supply chain
Tesla’s vast and complex global supply chain is co-managed by two executives: Budhiraj and Thomas. Budhiraj joined Tesla in 2014, bringing prior experience from Apple’s supply chain team and a consulting background at Deloitte. He initially oversaw powertrain and electronics programs before being promoted to vice president of supply chain in 2018. He now manages key areas such as batteries, electronics, construction, manufacturing and distribution.
Thomas, who reports directly to Musk, was appointed vice president in 2020. He is responsible for vehicle and solar sourcing and other critical supply functions. Thomas joined Tesla in 2019 as a purchasing manager for propulsion, thermal and climate systems, following earlier roles in supply operations at Tellabs and Sanmina.
