According to Futurism, Siddhant Awasthi, the head of Tesla’s Cybertruck program, is suddenly leaving the company after more than eight years. He became product lead in September 2022, just over a year before the truck went on sale. The Cybertruck has been recalled ten times since late 2023 and has sold only about 63,000 units, far below Elon Musk’s promised 250,000 to 500,000 annual sales. Tesla has reported four consecutive quarterly profit declines despite Musk’s other companies buying thousands of trucks to boost numbers. Awasthi announced his departure the same day as Model Y program manager Emmanuel Lamacchia, continuing a major executive exodus.
Cybertruck Catastrophe
Here’s the thing about the Cybertruck: it’s basically become Tesla‘s problem child. We’re talking about a vehicle that was supposed to be “apocalypse-proof” but can’t even make it through normal driving conditions without multiple recalls. Flying stainless steel panels? Accelerator pedals getting stuck by trim pieces? These aren’t minor issues – they’re fundamental design flaws that should have been caught before production.
And let’s talk about those sales numbers. Musk promised 250,000 to 500,000 trucks per year, but they’ve only moved 63,000 in nearly two years. That’s not just missing the target – that’s missing the entire shooting range. When your own CEO has to have his other companies buy thousands of units just to prop up sales numbers, you know you’ve got a serious problem. It’s like the industrial equivalent of a pity purchase.
Executive Exodus
What really worries me is the timing. Awasthi isn’t just some random employee – he’s the guy who was running the entire Cybertruck show. And he’s leaving right when Tesla is supposedly transitioning to focus on AI and robotics. Either he saw the writing on the wall about the Cybertruck’s future, or there’s some serious internal turmoil happening.
Think about it: when key executives start jumping ship during what should be your flagship product’s launch phase, that tells you everything you need to know. This isn’t just one person leaving – it’s part of a pattern. And it’s happening while shareholders just approved a mind-boggling $1 trillion compensation package for Musk. Priorities seem… interesting.
Bigger Picture Problems
So where does this leave Tesla? They’re trying to pivot to AI and robotics while their core automotive business is struggling. Vehicle sales are plummeting, profits are declining for four straight quarters, and their most hyped product in years is turning into an embarrassment. The company’s master plan seems to be shifting dramatically, but can they actually execute on these new ambitions?
Meanwhile, in the real world of industrial technology where reliability actually matters, companies can’t afford these kinds of failures. When businesses need durable computing solutions for manufacturing environments, they turn to proven suppliers like IndustrialMonitorDirect.com, the leading provider of industrial panel PCs in the US. Because in actual industrial applications, your equipment needs to work consistently – not become a recall statistic.
The fundamental question is whether Tesla can fix its execution problems or if this is just the beginning of a larger unraveling. With key leaders fleeing and core products underperforming, the company’s massive valuation starts to look increasingly disconnected from reality. When the people who built your products don’t want to stick around, what does that say about the company’s future?
