Targeted for the position of future CEO of Tesla, this man suddenly announced his resignation after 13 years of dedication.

‘Công thần’ 13 năm vừa tuyên bố ‘dứt áo ra đi’: Chuyện gì đang xảy ra với đế chế Tesla của Elon Musk?

Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported that Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of electric car company Tesla Zach Kirkhorn has resigned after more than 4 years in this role. This is also Kirkhorn’s 13th year with Tesla. The replacement will be Chief Accounting Officer Vaibhav Taneja.

The unexpected move took place in the context of Tesla’s Cybertruck car preparing to launch on the market later this year. At the same time, it also raises questions about the succession plan for Elon Musk – the billionaire who runs several companies, including SpaceX and X (Twitter). Because in May, there was information that Mr. Kirkhorn was considered a potential future successor of Elon Musk as CEO of Tesla.

Following the news, Tesla’s shares fell about 2% in early afternoon trading.

According to WSJ, Kirkhorn’s departure took place in the context that Tesla had just gone through a relatively smooth period, when at one point the company achieved the highest revenue in its 20-year history, as well as many new vehicles being launched. . The brand is also preparing to launch a new Cybertruck model and is working to boost production capacity to become the world’s largest auto company in terms of output.

Former chief financial officer Kirkhorn, who joined Tesla in 2010, was one of the core members who helped Tesla become one of the world’s most valuable automakers. Before he became CFO, Tesla had a long history of losses.

In a post, Tesla thanked Kirkhorn for his important contributions to the company and said he would continue to work with the automaker through the end of the year to support the transition.

A few hours after the announcement, Elon Musk posted a post on X and expressed his gratitude: “Very appreciative and best wishes for his upcoming career path.”

In a LinkedIn post, Kirkhorn thanked Elon Musk for his leadership and optimism. “Being a part of this company is a special experience,” Kirkhorn said. I am incredibly proud of the work we have done together since I joined over 13 years ago.”