The Exodus Reaches Energy and Robotaxi as Cybercab Production Leaders Keep Leaving
October 15th, 2026: Energy and Charging VP Steps DownNew here? Follow stories to track developments over time. Create a free account to get updates when stories you care about change.
Tesla has lost senior leaders in powertrain, software, finance, sales, manufacturing, customer experience and energy since April 2024. The Cybercab program took the worst of it in 2026: its program manager, its new-product-introduction head, two assembly leads and the director who built the robotaxi software all left.
Vice President of Energy and Charging Mike Snyder stepped down on October 15, succeeded by AJ Booth, and Jody Kerns, who ran Cybercab general assembly, left the same day for Rivian. Commercial Cybercab rides started in Austin on September 3; a week later federal regulators demanded proof that a car without a steering wheel meets safety standards. Energy is the bright spot, growing 9.6% in the third quarter by battery energy deployed and making up about 11% of revenue in the first half.
Why it matters
Tesla's bench is thinnest exactly where its growth story depends on execution: driverless cars and energy storage.
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Curated perspectives — historical figures and your fellow readers.
Fictional AI pastiche — not real quote.
"A captain who abandons the helm to chase political squalls deserves to lose his crew—and his cargo. I built empires by keeping my eye on the rails and the ledgers, not the newspapers. This Musk fellow has confused being famous with being feared, and the market is teaching him the difference."
The world's second-largest electric vehicle manufacturer, having lost the top position to BYD in 2025.
Chinese automaker that surpassed Tesla in 2025 as the world's largest electric vehicle maker.
April 2024 October 2026
Mike Snyder, vice president of energy and charging, leaves, according to the Wall Street Journal. AJ Booth, senior director of energy products engineering, succeeds him.
Jody Kerns, senior manager of Cybercab general assembly at Giga Texas, departs to become Rivian's Director of General Assembly for the R2.
Tesla starts charging passengers for rides in the Cybercab, the two-seat vehicle built without a steering wheel or brake pedal.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration issues a Special Order requiring Tesla to show under oath that a car with no steering wheel or brake pedal meets federal safety standards.
Michael So, Tesla's head of new-product introduction for the Cybercab, departs. He had been at Gigafactory Texas since 2021 and worked on the Model Y and Cybertruck launches there.
Mark Lupkey, who oversaw Cybercab assembly at Giga Texas, and Jose del Corral, head of product for customer experience, leave on the same day. Del Corral joins Coinbase.
Sendil Palani leaves Tesla, the longest-tenured of the finance leaders, having helped secure the $465 million Energy Department loan that funded the Fremont factory.
Thomas Dmytryk departs after 11 years, saying he was stepping away to prioritize family.
Tesla promotes Joe Ward, its head of European operations, to oversee global sales, service, and delivery. Ward joined the company as a logistics intern in 2010.
Raj Jegannathan leaves Tesla just months after being named North American sales chief, becoming the second person to leave that role in under a year.
Victor Nechita leaves days after the first production Cybercab rolled off the Giga Texas line, saying he planned a new chapter on the east coast.
Tesla reports a second consecutive year of declining deliveries, with annual sales down 8.6%. BYD surpasses Tesla as the world's largest electric vehicle manufacturer.
Tesla dismisses Troy Jones, its longtime head of North American sales, amid falling demand. Raj Jegannathan is named as replacement.
Musk fires Omead Afshar, his former chief of staff who led North American and European operations. Musk assumes direct responsibility for sales in these regions.
Tesla announces its first-ever year-over-year decline in annual deliveries, marking a turning point for the company's growth trajectory.
Four senior executives leave Tesla in the days leading up to the company's major robotaxi unveiling, continuing the pattern of departures.
Tesla announces layoffs affecting more than 10% of its workforce. Drew Baglino and Rohan Patel resign. About two weeks later, on April 29, Rebecca Tinucci was fired along with nearly all of her roughly 500-person Supercharger team.
Discussed by: Tesla bulls and company supporters
Joe Ward's 15-year institutional knowledge helps stabilize the sales organization. New vehicle launches—including an updated Model Y and lower-cost models—reverse the decline. The executive exodus ends as remaining leaders consolidate power. This scenario requires both product launches and a reduction in consumer backlash against Musk.
Discussed by: Industry analysts at Electrek, Bloomberg
The pattern of executive turnover continues as sales pressure intensifies. Musk assumes more direct operational control, as he did after Afshar's departure. Tesla becomes increasingly dependent on its CEO for day-to-day decisions, creating bottlenecks and amplifying brand association with his political activities.
Discussed by: Institutional investors, corporate governance analysts
Sustained sales decline and leadership instability prompt Tesla's board to reassess governance structure. Investors push for Musk to reduce his political profile or delegate operational authority. Major shareholders demand changes to reduce brand risk. This scenario would require unusual pressure on a board historically deferential to Musk.
Discussed by: Auto industry analysts, BYD watchers
Chinese competitors continue taking market share in Europe and emerging markets. Legacy automakers gain ground in North America with competitively priced EVs. Tesla's aging lineup and leadership instability prevent effective response. The company remains profitable but shrinks into a premium niche player.
Discussed by: Auto industry analysts
Tesla targeted volume Cybercab production for April and robotaxi service in Phoenix, Miami, and Las Vegas by mid-2026. Five senior leaders tied to the program have left since February. If the ramp slips, the robotaxi revenue story loses its anchor and the departures get blamed for the delay.
Discussed by: Safety regulators and auto industry analysts
NHTSA's Special Order requires Tesla to prove under oath that a car without a steering wheel or brake pedal meets federal safety standards. If regulators reject Tesla's case, the Cybercab could need design changes or an exemption, and the robotaxi fleet would stay small. NHTSA estimated the combined Model Y and Cybercab robotaxi fleet at about 1,000 vehicles.
3 moments from history that rhyme with this story — and how they unfolded.
Uber experienced a cascade of executive departures amid revelations of workplace harassment, regulatory battles, and CEO Travis Kalanick's erratic behavior. The company's president quit after seven months. Multiple vice presidents departed. A video of Kalanick arguing with an Uber driver went viral. Five major investors ultimately demanded his resignation.
Kalanick resigned in June 2017. Dara Khosrowshahi was named CEO and began a comprehensive culture overhaul.
Uber successfully went public in 2019 and eventually became profitable. The crisis demonstrated that even dominant tech companies can recover from severe leadership turmoil if board intervention comes early enough.
Tesla faces similar dynamics: a founder-CEO whose personal brand has become controversial, a pattern of executive departures, and questions about board independence. Unlike Uber, Tesla's board has shown no signs of intervention, and Musk's control is more complete.
Ford's board replaced CEO Mark Fields after just three years, citing the company's failure to adapt to autonomous vehicles and electric cars. Ford's stock had fallen 37% during Fields's tenure. The board brought in Jim Hackett, who led Ford's mobility subsidiary, to drive transformation.
Hackett struggled to deliver results and was replaced by Jim Farley in 2020.
Ford eventually committed heavily to EVs, but the leadership churn delayed its electric transition by years. The company lost market share to Tesla during this period.
Ford's experience shows how executive turnover during an industry transition can compound competitive disadvantage. Tesla's departures are occurring precisely when it needs stable leadership to respond to Chinese competition and product aging.
Newly appointed CEO Mary Barra inherited a crisis involving faulty ignition switches linked to at least 124 deaths. GM issued 84 safety recalls covering more than 30 million vehicles. Barra was called before Congress to testify. The company paid $900 million in fines.
Multiple executives departed or were terminated. GM restructured its engineering and safety processes.
Barra survived the crisis and stabilized GM's leadership. She remains CEO a decade later, having led the company's electric vehicle transition.
Barra's tenure shows a CEO can survive major crisis if the board provides support and the leader demonstrates accountability. Tesla's situation differs: the crisis stems from Musk's own choices rather than inherited problems, making board intervention politically complex.