Victor Nechita, Tesla's vehicle program manager for the Cybercab, has left the company after nearly nine years, just days after the first production unit rolled off the line at Gigafactory Texas. Nechita, who joined as a Model 3 intern in 2017, led the Cybercab from concept to initial production. His departure adds to a series of senior executive exits at Tesla amid preparations for volume production in April.
Victor Nechita announced his departure from Tesla in a LinkedIn post, describing his journey 'from interning on the Model 3 production line back in 2017 to becoming the Vehicle Program Manager of Tesla’s first purpose-built AV, the Cybercab.' He called leading the team through the Cybercab's development a 'humbling experience' and noted the vehicle's goals of 'efficiency, safety, and affordability.' Nechita, who contributed to the Model 3 Highland refresh, is moving to a new role in Boston but did not specify his next employer.
The exit occurred days after Tesla's February 17, 2026, announcement of the first Cybercab production unit at Gigafactory Texas. The Cybercab, a two-seater autonomous vehicle without a steering wheel, pedals, or side mirrors, is designed for unsupervised autonomy. It features wireless inductive charging and butterfly-style doors. Tesla plans volume production starting in April, with CEO Elon Musk stating early production will be 'agonizingly slow' and aiming for one unit every 10 seconds at scale. The vehicle is expected to cost below $30,000, though the final price remains uncertain.
Nechita's departure leaves Tesla without an original program manager for its production vehicles, including Model 3, Model Y, Cybertruck, and Cybercab. Recent exits include Cybertruck program manager Siddhant Awasthi and Model Y program manager Emmanuel Lamacchia in November 2025; Omead Afshar, vice president of sales and manufacturing for North America and Europe; Milan Kovac, head of the Optimus program; Drew Baglino, powertrain lead; Pete Bannon, vice president of hardware engineering; and David Lau, vice president of software engineering, who joined OpenAI. Earlier this month, North America sales chief Raj Jegannathan left after less than a year.
The Cybercab relies on Tesla's Full Self-Driving technology for operation, as it lacks manual controls. Tesla updated the definition of Full Self-Driving in September 2025, removing promises of unsupervised autonomy. The vehicle will launch on AI4 hardware, with the next-generation AI5 chip not available until mid-2027. A January 2026 attempt at unsupervised robotaxi rides in Austin was limited and withdrawn within a week, now operating in a geofenced area with teleoperation. Reports vary on safety, with one estimating incidents nine times higher than human drivers and another four times higher. Tesla has not secured an NHTSA exemption for road operation without autonomy. Tesla's global deliveries declined 8.6% in 2025.
