Siddhant Awasthi, who led Tesla's Cybertruck and Model 3 programs, announced his departure after eight years with the company. Hours later, Emmanuel Lamacchia, the Model Y program manager, also confirmed he was leaving after nearly eight years. The exits add to a series of senior departures amid Tesla's shift toward AI and robotics.
Siddhant Awasthi joined Tesla as an intern in 2017 and rose to lead the Cybertruck program for three years, overseeing engineering, production ramp-up, product strategy, quality improvement, and supply chain logistics. In July 2025, he assumed responsibility for the Model 3 program. In a LinkedIn post on Sunday, Awasthi wrote, “I recently made one of the hardest decisions of my life,” praising his accomplishments including ramping up Model 3, working on Giga Shanghai, developing new electronics and wireless architectures, and delivering the Cybertruck, all before turning 30.
Hours after Awasthi's announcement, Emmanuel Lamacchia, who joined Tesla in 2018, revealed his exit. He had spent over four years as the Model Y program manager, leading its global rollout and production across multiple factories. Lamacchia's LinkedIn post began, “What a journey it’s been… from leading NPI for Model 3 and Model Y variants to becoming the Vehicle Program Manager for Model Y, the best-selling car in the world.”
The Cybertruck faced challenges, including a 63% sales drop to 5,385 units in Q3 2025 compared to the previous year. Recalls included 63,000 vehicles in October for overly intense headlights and 46,000 in March for a detaching windshield panel. Model Y sales declined 23% in 2025, though it remained the bestselling EV in the US. Tesla's Q3 deliveries reached 497,099 vehicles, up 7%, but analysts expect a Q4 slowdown after the $7,500 EV tax credit expired on September 30.
These departures follow others, including David Zhang for Model S and X programs, Milan Kovac for Optimus robotics, and Omead Afshar for operations. Tesla reported Q3 revenue of $28.1 billion, up 12%, but earnings per share fell 31% to $0.50. Shareholders approved Elon Musk's $1 trillion pay package, tied to milestones like 20 million EVs and 1 million robotaxis.
