Jones’ exit is one on a rapidly growing list of executive departures. Omead Afshar, who was promoted less than a year ago to oversee Tesla’s manufacturing and operations in North America and Europe, was fired by Musk less than a month ago. Afshar reported directly to Musk and managed a team of senior employees and executives, including Jones and Karen Steakley. Steakley, who currently leads business development and policy for Tesla, previously served as deputy director for legislative affairs under Texas Gov. Greg Abbott. Afshar, a longtime aide and confidant of Musk, was the subject of an internal investigation at Tesla regarding construction materials, including a special kind of glass for one of Musk’s secret projects. Afshar briefly worked at SpaceX before returning to Tesla less than a year ago to take on a new executive-level role. Jenna Ferrua, Tesla’s North American director of human resources, also departed in June. Earlier this year, David Lau, Tesla’s vice president of software engineering, left the company after more than a decade. Additionally, Vineet Mehta, who oversaw architecture, exited in April after 17 years with Tesla. Another notable departure this year was Milan Kovac, vice president of Tesla’s Optimus humanoid robotics program. Kovac, who started with the company in 2016, announced in June that he’d resigned to spend more time with his family. Tesla is hoping to someday sell its Optimus robot, which Musk says will be capable of tasks from factory work to babysitting. The reorganization comes at a pivotal time for Tesla. The EV maker recently launched its long-promised robotaxi service in Austin, broadening its service area over the weekend. Musk has said the service’s successful launch and rapid expansion will turn around Tesla’s flagging sales and profits. So far, it’s available only to invited users in limited service area. At the same time, the company is facing a rare federal jury trial in Florida over whether its Autopilot technology was at fault in a 2019 car crash that killed one person and severely injured another. Federal regulators also are looking at the technology, having asked Tesla for more information after videos posted online after the robotaxi rollout showed driverless Model Ys stopping in traffic, driving in and oncoming traffic lane and exhibiting other erratic behavior. Tesla is among Austin’s largest employers. It finished 2024 with more than 21,000 employees at its sprawling factory and headquarters about 10 miles east of downtown.