Siddhant Awasthi, an Indian American engineer who led Tesla’s prestigious Cybertruck program, is leaving the Elon Musk-led electric automaker after more than eight years.
Awasthi, who began at Tesla as an intern in 2017, rose quickly through the ranks to oversee one of the carmaker’s most high-profile projects — the Cybertruck, from design to large-scale production. He also took charge of the Model 3 program in July last year.
“Eight years ago, when I started as an intern, I never dreamed I’d one day have the opportunity to lead the Cybertruck program and bring it to reality,” Awasthi wrote in a LinkedIn post.
“I recently made one of the hardest decisions of my life to leave Tesla after an incredible run. It’s been an absolute privilege filled with mostly high-intensity days working alongside talented, driven, and truly rockstar colleagues.”
READ: Tesla Cybertruck chief Siddhant Awasthi leaves company after eight years (
Hailing from Bengaluru, India, Awasthi studied at Kendriya Vidyalaya before earning a degree in electronics and communication engineering from Dayananda Sagar College of Engineering. He later completed his master’s at the University of Cincinnati.
While he didn’t reveal what’s next, Awasthi reflected on his rapid rise inside Tesla, saying he was involved in “ramping up Model 3, working on Giga Shanghai, developing new electronics and wireless architectures, and delivering the once-in-a-lifetime Cybertruck — all before hitting 30.”
Awasthi also thanked Tesla boss Elon Musk and the EV-maker’s leadership for their guidance. “I want to extend a huge thanks to Elon, all Tesla leaders (past and present), mentors, and our amazing customers (huge shoutout!) who’ve fuelled my drive and kept me pushing forward through it all.”
Acknowledging Tesla’s challenges, he wrote, “This decision wasn’t easy, especially with so much exciting growth on the horizon. Tesla vehicles are incredibly complex systems that often don’t get the credit they deserve, but I’ve seen firsthand how they’ve changed lives and improved safety.”
Signing off, Awasthi said he remains optimistic about Tesla’s future: “I’m confident Tesla will nail its next big mission and I’m truly excited about the next chapter of my life.”
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Awasthi’s exit comes at a turbulent time for Tesla. Last month Tesla announced that it was recalling more than 63,000 Cybertrucks in the U.S. because the front lights are too bright, which may cause a distraction to other drivers and increase the risk of a collision, ABC reported.
In March U.S. safety regulators recalled virtually all Cybertrucks on the road. The NHTSA’s recall, which covered more than 46,000 Cybertrucks, warned that an exterior panel that runs along the left and right side of the windshield can detach while driving, creating a dangerous road hazard for other drivers, increasing the risk of a crash.
Tesla reported a fourth straight decline in quarterly profit in October, even as sales rose. The automaker reported third-quarter earnings plunged 37% to $1.4 billion, or 39 cents a share, from $2.2 billion, or 62 cents a share, a year earlier.
That marked the fourth quarter in a row that profit dropped. And even the revenue rise, a welcome relief from a sales plunge earlier in the year due to anti-Musk boycotts, came with a significant caveat: Customers rushed to take advantage of a $7,500 federal EV tax credit before it expired on Oct. 1, possibly stealing sales from the current quarter.