Did Someone Get Promoted At Tesla Amid Layoffs? Autopilot Head's X Badge Change Sparks Talk Of Leadership Shift

Tesla‘s Director of Autopilot Software, Ashok Elluswamy, recently gained a company-affiliated tag on social media platform X, sparking speculation about a potential promotion following the departures of senior executives Drew Baglino and Rohan Patel.

What Happened: Before their resignations were announced on Monday, both Baglino and Patel lost their Tesla-affiliated badges on X. Elluswamy receiving the tag now suggests a possible leadership shift within the company.

This news comes amidst Tesla’s recently announced layoffs, impacting over 10% of its global workforce (roughly 14,000 employees) in a cost-cutting measure. CEO Elon Musk, via the same social media platform, justified the layoffs as necessary “to reorganize and streamline the company for the next phase of growth.”

Other Tesla Executives On X: Interestingly, Musk himself does not have a Tesla-affiliated tag on X. 

Instead, it reflects his role as Chair of the platform, displaying an affiliation to X Corp, formerly known as Twitter before he bought it.

Other Tesla executives who do have Tesla-affiliated tags include design chief Franz von Holzhausen, automotive head Tom Zhu [widely seen as Tesla’s No. 2 after Musk], investor relations head  Martin Viecha, Cybertruck engineering head Wes Morrill, North American sales operations VP Troy Jones, and VP of Vehicle Engineering, Lars Moravy.

Read More: Elon Musk Re-Enters ‘Wartime CEO’ Mode? Tesla Chief Explains Necessity Of Massive Job Cuts Amid Report Of Critical Giga Texas Projects At Risk

Photo courtesy: Tesla

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