Tesla has parted ways with Omead Afshar, the executive who oversaw sales and manufacturing operations in North America and Europe and was widely regarded as one of Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk’s closest confidants. Bloomberg first reported Afshar’s exit earlier this week, and Forbes, citing people familiar with the matter, later said Musk had fired him. CNBC subsequently confirmed Afshar’s dismissal. Afshar joined Tesla in 2017 after stints in the CEO’s office and at SpaceX, and was promoted last October to lead sales and manufacturing across the company’s two largest regions. He previously ran construction of the 10-million-square-foot Gigafactory in Austin, Texas, and often served as Musk’s high-profile “fixer” on complex projects. His departure extends a string of senior-level exits—including former chief financial officer Zach Kirkhorn and battery chief Drew Baglino—at a time when Tesla is struggling to reignite demand. New-car registrations in Europe fell 28 % year-on-year in May, the fifth consecutive monthly decline, while the stock is down roughly 19 % so far in 2025. Separately, Jenna Ferrua, who headed human-resources operations in Austin, has also left the company, Bloomberg reported. Tesla has not commented on either executive’s departure.