Tesla Optimus Robot VP Leaving - What You Need to Know

Departure of Tesla’s Optimus Program Head

Milan Kovac, the lead of Tesla’s Optimus humanoid robot initiative, is departing from the company.

In a statement released on X on Friday, Kovac indicated that leaving was a profoundly challenging decision. He explained that extended time away from his family necessitated a change.

Kovac emphasized that family commitments were the sole driver behind his decision, and affirmed his continued strong support for Elon Musk and Tesla.

Initial Reports and Company Goals

The news of Kovac’s departure was initially reported by Bloomberg News on Friday.

This transition occurs as Tesla CEO Elon Musk has publicly stated the company anticipates having “thousands” of Optimus robots functioning within its manufacturing facilities by the close of the current year.

Musk further projected a rapid scaling of Optimus production, potentially exceeding any previous product launch in history, with the aim of achieving millions of units annually as quickly as feasible.

Kovac’s Tenure at Tesla

Kovac dedicated nearly a decade to Tesla, primarily as a leading engineer within the Autopilot team.

He was selected to contribute to the development of Optimus in 2022 and subsequently ascended to the position of vice president overseeing the program in late 2024.

Previously, Kovac detailed his responsibilities on LinkedIn, stating: “I’m driving the Optimus program (Tesla’s humanoid robot) & all its engineering teams.”

He also noted his oversight of the engineering teams responsible for the software infrastructure shared between Optimus and Autopilot.

Leadership Transition

According to Bloomberg, Ashok Elluswamy, currently the vice president of Tesla’s AI software division, will assume leadership of the Optimus project.

This change in leadership follows Kovac’s announcement regarding his departure, which was subsequently confirmed via his post on X.

This article has been updated to include details from Kovac’s statement on X concerning his departure.