Omead Afshar, one of Elon Musk’s closest aides and Tesla’s vice president of manufacturing and operations, has been reportedlyfired by Musk as the electric vehicle maker grapples with declining sales across North America and Europe. According to CNBC, Afshar’s termination comes just days before the end of the second quarter, amid ongoing pressure from investors following Tesla’s fifth consecutive monthly sales drop in Europe and a 15% decline in deliveries in China.Afshar’s dismissal marks the latest high-profile exit from Tesla following the recent departure of Milan Kovac, head of the company’s Optimus humanoid robotics program.Afshar had been leading a critical team overseeing Tesla’s business across major markets, including executives in sales and policy. His ouster comes at a time when Tesla’s brand has also taken a reputational hit, partly due to Musk’s controversial political positions and the underperformance of the Cybertruck. Analysts are forecasting a global drop of at least 10% in Tesla’s Q2 deliveries. The stock is down 19% this year.Who is Omead Afshar?Often described as “Musk’s fixer,” Afshar was one of the most powerful and trusted executives within Elon Musk’s business empire. According to Forbes, he began his journey with Tesla as an engineer in 2011 and rose through the ranks to eventually become vice president, overseeing operations in North America and Europe. An American citizen born to Iranian parents, Afshar studied biomedical engineering with a focus on mechanical engineering at the University of California, Irvine.Known for his perfectionism and operational discipline, Afshar gained Musk’s trust early on and became involved in some of Tesla’s most high-stakes projects. He played a key role in building Tesla’s massive Gigafactory in Austin, Texas, a project that solidified his reputation for delivering under pressure. In 2022, he was the subject of an internal probe over the acquisition of rare construction materials, including speciality glass, for a secretive Musk-led initiative, as reported by Bloomberg. Following that investigation, he worked briefly at SpaceX, where he was later promoted to vice president before returning to Tesla.Afshar also had a hand in Musk’s 2022 acquisition of Twitter, now known as X. According to ET, he helped implement cost-cutting measures during the platform’s restructuring. Despite his abrupt firing, Afshar continued praising Musk on social media in recent days, calling the robotaxi pilot launch in Austin “absolutely historic” and thanking the CEO “for pushing us all.” His influence was such that The Wall Street Journal once described him as one of the few insiders who could both understand and execute Musk’s most ambitious visions.
