The Tesla engineer who started as an intern and rose to be the Cybertruck program head is leaving the company. According to CNBC, Siddhant Awasthi is leaving the electric vehicle company after eight years. He was also the lead of the Model 3 program.
"Eight years ago, when I started as an intern, I never dreamed I'd one day have the opportunity to lead the Cybertruck program and bring it to reality," Awasthi posted on LinkedIn.
What's happening?
While Awasthi did not give a reason for his departure, the Cybertruck has not been popular, with only 16,000 units sold in the first three quarters of 2025.
Tesla has had a rough year with declining sales. However, according to CNBC, its revenue increased 12% in the third quarter. The Model Y also marked record sales of 114,897 in the third quarter.
CEO Elon Musk is seemingly moving Tesla in a different direction, too. According to Jim Cramer, host of CNBC's Mad Money, the EV company is turning into a tech company. It has long had divisions for artificial intelligence, robotics, charging, energy, and solar.
"When your boss sends a message that it's not a car company anymore, these things should be expected," one Redditor noted in r/RealTesla.
Why is the departure of a Tesla engineer concerning?
Tesla has been a great entry point for many people to switch to an EV and to help consumers save about $1,500 a year on gas and maintenance, but talent losses and wavering focus may deter people from buying EVs and reaping these benefits.
EVs are also much better for the environment than gas-powered vehicles, with studies offering evidence of this. For example, a University of California, Berkeley professor placed 57 sensors around the San Francisco Bay Area from 2018 to 2022 to track polluting gases as more people adopted EVs. The study found that these toxins were reduced by 1.8% annually.
What's being done about EV adoption?
Luckily, Tesla isn't the only game in town. Volkswagen experienced a surge in EV sales in Germany and now makes up 49% of the market.
Other traditional automakers, including Hyundai, General Motors, and Kia, also have popular EV models.
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