High Tesla Official Quits As Elon Musk Faces Backlash For DOGE Cuts

David Lau, Tesla Inc.’s vp of software program engineering, has instructed individuals on the firm that he’s stepping down, in response to individuals acquainted with the matter.

Lau, one of many few executives to advertise the automaker’s merchandise alongside Elon Musk, has been at Tesla for nearly 13 years and has held the vp title since 2017. His crew is accountable for the software program in Tesla’s autos – overseeing infotainment and data safety to over-the-air software program updates – in addition to cloud providers and manufacturing techniques.

Tesla and Lau did not instantly reply to requests for remark.

The departure comes at a difficult second for Tesla, which is already grappling with client backlash, an ageing product lineup, a sluggish marketplace for electrical autos and President Donald Trump’s automotive tariffs. The corporate this week reported a 13% decline in first-quarter gross sales, prompting analysts to chop expectations.

Protests have sprung up within the US and Europe in current months over Musk’s championing of right-wing causes and his work main the Trump administration’s Division of Authorities Effectivity, which has been slashing the federal workforce.

Tesla shares tumbled 10% as of Friday afternoon in New York because the broader market slumped. Since hitting a report excessive on Dec. 17 within the wake of Trump’s election victory, the inventory plunged 44% via the shut Thursday.

The explanation for Lau’s departure wasn’t instantly clear.

Lau was among the many firm leaders who appeared on stage with Musk at an occasion staged in 2023 to showcase the bench behind Tesla’s chief government officer. The investor day in March of that yr adopted months of criticism of the time Musk had been spending taking on and working Twitter, now X, and the quantity of Tesla shares he bought to assist fund the acquisition.

When Tesla rolled out a redesigned Mannequin 3 sedan later in 2023, Lau featured in a video selling design adjustments and the addition of a touchscreen for backseat passengers.

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