Data updated
08
Leadership
Who runs the show.
Executive officers, key leaders and the Board. Tap anyone for more.
Executives, key leaders and the board
| Group | Name | Role | Since | Bio |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Executives and key leaders | Elon Musk | Technoking & CEO | CEO since Oct 2008 | Co-founder and largest shareholder. Also leads SpaceX (incl. xAI), Neuralink and The Boring Company. Sets all public Robotaxi and Optimus targets. |
| Executives and key leaders | Vaibhav Taneja | Chief Financial Officer | CFO since Aug 2023 | Former Chief Accounting Officer (from 2019); ex-SolarCity finance and PwC. Guided >$25bn 2026 capex and negative FCF. |
| Executives and key leaders | Tom Zhu | SVP, APAC & Global Vehicle Manufacturing | Joined Apr 2014 | Built and ran Giga Shanghai; now oversees global vehicle manufacturing. |
| Executives and key leaders | Ashok Elluswamy | VP, AI Software | Optimus remit since 2025 | Long-time Autopilot engineering head. Leads FSD, Robotaxi software and Optimus AI; announced 1m unsupervised miles at the Cybercab launch. |
| Executives and key leaders | Lars Moravy | VP, Vehicle Engineering | — | Leads vehicle engineering, including the Cybercab and Semi programmes. |
| Executives and key leaders | Mike Snyder | VP, Energy & Charging | — | Runs energy storage (Megapack, Powerwall) and Supercharging. |
| Executives and key leaders | Franz von Holzhausen | Chief Designer | Since 2008 | Designed Model S, 3, X, Y, Cybertruck and Cybercab. |
| Board of Directors | Robyn Denholm | Chair (independent) | Director 2014; Chair 2018 | Operating Partner at Blackbird Ventures; former CFO/COO of Telstra and CFO of Juniper Networks. |
| Board of Directors | Elon Musk | Director; CEO | Since Apr 2004 | Co-founder and CEO; Chair until 2018. |
| Board of Directors | Kimbal Musk | Director | Since Apr 2004 | Co-founder of The Kitchen Restaurant Group; Elon Musk's brother. |
| Board of Directors | Ira Ehrenpreis | Director; Chair, Compensation Committee | Since May 2007 | Founder of DBL Partners, a cleantech VC. |
| Board of Directors | James Murdoch | Director | Since Jul 2017 | CEO of Lupa Systems; former CEO of 21st Century Fox. |
| Board of Directors | Kathleen Wilson-Thompson | Director | Since Dec 2018 | Former EVP & Global CHRO of Walgreens Boots Alliance. |
| Board of Directors | Joe Gebbia | Director | Since Sep 2022 | Airbnb co-founder; founder of Samara. |
| Board of Directors | JB Straubel | Director | Since May 2023 | Founder and CEO of Redwood Materials; Tesla co-founder and CTO 2005–2019. |
| Board of Directors | Jack Hartung | Director (independent) | Since Jun 2025 | Former CFO & Chief Strategy Officer of Chipotle; earlier at McDonald's. |
Recent leadership changes
Sep 2026SEC staff no-action (29 Sep) for an Issuer Voluntary Retail Voting Program: retail holders can opt into a standing vote with the board's recommendations. Speculation about a SpaceX-Tesla combination continues. Optimus head of sensors reportedly left.
Apr 202610-K/A: 9-member board unchanged; executive officers Musk, Taneja, Zhu.
Mar 2026Sendil Palani (VP Finance, 17 years) and Thomas Dmytryk (OTA/Robotaxi infrastructure) left.
Feb 2026Raj Jegannathan (North America sales head) left; Cybercab programme manager and assembly lead also left.
Nov 2025Shareholders approved the 2025 CEO Performance Award; all directors re-elected.
Sep 2025Ashish Kumar (Optimus AI lead) left for Meta.
Aug 2025Pete Bannon left; Dojo team disbanded.
Jun 2025Omead Afshar, Milan Kovac (Optimus) and Jenna Ferrua (HR) left. Tom Zhu promoted; Jack Hartung joined the Board.