Tesla Cybertruck Setbacks Mount as Top Engineers Announce Departures
Tesla recently lost several key executives responsible for its most well-known electric vehicle models. Siddhant Awasthi, a rising star at Tesla who previously led engineering for the Cybertruck and, most recently, the Model 3, announced in a LinkedIn post on Sunday that he had left the company after eight years. Emmanuel Lamacchia, the program manager of Tesla’s most successful product, the Model Y, also revealed his departure on LinkedIn over the weekend after eight years with the company.
Awasthi, who began his Tesla career as an intern and quickly rose through the ranks, didn’t specify why he left, noting only that it wasn’t an easy decision given Tesla’s “exciting growth on the horizon.” He earned a master’s degree in engineering from the University of Cincinnati in 2017 and became program manager for both the Cybertruck and Model 3 within five short years. According to his LinkedIn page, Awasthi oversaw product strategy, quality improvements and supply chain management for the oddly shaped truck.
The Cybertruck has been plagued by problems since its 2023 launch and has largely been considered a commercial failure for Tesla. The company discontinued sales of the base Cybertruck model, which started at $70,000, in September due to weak demand. In March, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) forced Tesla to recall nearly all 46,000-plus Cybertrucks it had sold over an engineering flaw that caused exterior panels to detach while the vehicles were in motion. Last month, Tesla issued another broad recall affecting 63,000 Cybertrucks because of dangerously bright headlights.
It has also become a symbol of the broader rightward political shift in the U.S. since Donald Trump’s re-election last year. Dubbed the “MAGAmobile” and “Deplorean,” among other nicknames, the e-pickup has been tied to Elon Musk’s right-wing views, his close ties to Trump, and his involvement in the Department of Government Efficiency early in Trump’s second term.
Financially, Musk’s political leanings have hurt Tesla’s business, driving away many former fans of the brand. In October, Tesla reported its fourth straight quarterly profit decline, even as sales increased. Cybertruck registrations plunged 63 percent year-over-year in the third quarter, and Tesla has been offering steep discounts amid collapsing demand and the expiration of the federal $7,500 tax credit, which ended in September under the Trump Administration. To boost sales, some Tesla dealers have begun renting Cybertrucks through their showrooms, according to Electrek.
Despite ongoing struggles in its EV business, Tesla is setting ambitious goals for its A.I.-driven next chapter. Last week, shareholders approved a massive compensation plan for Musk that would incentivize the CEO to grow the company’s market value to $8.5 trillion by 2035.