Tesla’s Cybertruck boss, Siddhant Awasthi, has officially left the company after more than eight years — ending a journey that began as an intern and grew into one of the most high-profile roles in Tesla’s engineering ranks.
Awasthi announced his departure in a LinkedIn post late Sunday, writing, “Eight years ago, when I started as an intern, I never imagined I’d one day lead the Cybertruck program and bring it to life.” His post drew warm reactions from colleagues and followers, many crediting him for helping turn Tesla’s wildest design into a real product.
Over his time at Tesla, Awasthi rose through the ranks to lead the Cybertruck’s development — guiding it from early concept and design stages all the way to full-scale production at the company’s Gigafactory in Texas. His work spanned across engineering, product strategy, quality control, and supply chain management, helping steer one of Tesla’s most complex projects to the production line.
Last year, he also took over leadership of the Model 3 program, signaling the company’s confidence in his ability to manage multiple large-scale projects. His exit now leaves a gap in Tesla’s engineering leadership as the company works to stabilize Cybertruck output and refine its broader EV lineup.
The timing comes as Tesla, under Elon Musk, faces new market headwinds. The company posted record deliveries in the third quarter, fueled by a surge of U.S. buyers rushing to claim a $7,500 federal tax credit before it expired on September 30. But analysts expect a slowdown in the final quarter as incentives fade and competition in the EV market intensifies.
As for the Cybertruck, it’s had a bumpy start. Tesla has offered discounts in recent months to move inventory, and a recall filing earlier this year revealed that about 46,000 Cybertrucks were built between their November 2023 debut and early 2024.
Awasthi’s departure marks more than just a leadership change — it closes a chapter in Tesla’s story, one that reflects both the company’s meteoric rise and the growing challenges of staying ahead in a fiercely competitive electric vehicle market.
