Elon Musk Reportedly Fires Tesla Sales Chief
Omead Afshar, Tesla’s vice president overseeing sales and manufacturing in North America and Europe, has reportedly been fired by CEO Elon Musk, according to Forbes. The company has not disclosed the reason for Afshar’s dismissal. Neither Tesla nor Afshar has responded to requests for comment. Bloomberg News first reported the departure.
Notably, Afshar remained publicly engaged with Tesla activities just days ago. On June 23, he praised the company’s robotaxi rollout in Austin, Texas. “Absolutely historic day for Tesla,” he posted on X. “Thank you, Elon, for pushing us all!”
Afshar’s removal comes at a difficult time for Tesla. The company is struggling to regain sales momentum. In fact, Tesla sold fewer vehicles in 2024 than in 2023, marking its first annual decline since entering mass EV production over a decade ago.
A Broader Business Slowdown
While Tesla had once led the industry in profitability, its financial strength has weakened. The company saw a dramatic 71% drop in profits year-over-year in Q1 of 2025. Additionally, European sales declined nearly 28% in May. Although Musk distanced himself from the Trump administration recently, that move has yet to improve Tesla’s market position. Sales continued to slump through the first half of this year.
Tesla is expected to release global delivery figures for Q2 next week. Moreover, its financial results for the same period are due by mid-July. Investors and analysts are watching closely to assess the impact of executive turnover on performance.
Afshar’s Rise and Scrutiny
Afshar joined Tesla in 2017 and rose steadily through the ranks. He operated within the “office of the CEO” and took on more responsibility over time. Musk once credited him for overseeing construction of Tesla’s massive Austin factory.
However, controversy soon followed. In 2022, Afshar was reportedly involved in a plan to procure specialized glass materials for a building Musk was said to have envisioned. That incident sparked internal scrutiny, and in 2023, both the Department of Justice and the SEC began investigating the purchases.
During that time, Afshar temporarily shifted roles, spending time at SpaceX and reportedly working with X. He returned to Tesla leadership in late 2024 when he was promoted after executive Tom Zhu moved back to China.
Adding to the executive turnover, Bloomberg also reported that Tesla’s North American HR director, Jenna Ferrua, is no longer with the company. She has not commented publicly on her departure.
