Musk Alumni Are Now Driving the Competition
In a recent TaaSMaster Newsletter post, I discussed how Elon Musk is winning the automotive game. Evidently, his competitors seem to agree—at least indirectly—given the number of former Tesla executives now driving innovation at other automakers and mobility companies. Let’s take a closer look at where some of Musk’s lieutenants have landed.
Jens Peter Clausen: Clausen led efforts to scale production of Tesla’s EV propulsion systems at Gigafactory 1 in Nevada. Today, he is the head of global manufacturing and sustainability at General Motors.
Jon McNeill: A former Tesla president responsible for sales, marketing, government relations, delivery, and service, McNeill is now a GM board member and vice chairman of the board at Cruise, GM’s autonomous driving subsidiary.
Kurt Kelty: As Tesla’s senior director of battery technology, Kelty played a pivotal role in the company’s EV advancements. Today, he serves as VP of batteries at GM, where he leads the company’s battery cell strategy and EV technology initiatives.
John Taylor: Once the leader of Tesla’s advanced manufacturing team, Taylor is now the VP of EV manufacturing at Mullen Automotive.
Rebecca Tinucci: Formerly a member of Tesla’s Supercharging Team, Tinucci now oversees Uber Technologies’ transition to EVs as the global head of sustainability.
Sterling Anderson: After leading Tesla’s Autopilot program, Anderson co-founded Aurora, a company dedicated to developing autonomous vehicle technology.
Peter Rawlinson: Best known as the chief engineer behind Tesla’s groundbreaking Model S, Rawlinson is now the CEO of Lucid Motors, where he’s shaping the future of luxury EVs.
Daniel Ho: At Tesla, Ho spearheaded the development and ramp-up of the Model Y and Cybertruck, as well as the launch of new factories in Berlin and Texas. Today, he is a program director at Waymo , Alphabet’s autonomous driving subsidiary.
Whether advanced manufacturing, sustainability initiatives, battery development or autonomous technology, these former Tesla executives are now helping to shape the broader EV and autonomous driving space. This also suggests that Elon Musk has a knack for cultivating top-tier talent given the demand for his lieutenant’s talents by many Tesla competitors.