The executive shuffle at Tesla shows no signs of slowing down. According to The Wall Street Journal, Troy Jones, one of the company’s longest-serving sales leaders, has left after more than 15 years with the EV giant.
Jones joined Tesla back in April 2010 and most recently held the position of Vice President of Sales and Service for North America, overseeing operations in what remains Tesla’s largest and most important regional market. His departure comes at a time of internal transformation and mounting pressure from growing competition in the electric vehicle space.
His exit adds to a wave of high-level departures in recent months. In June, Omead Afshar, a close confidant of CEO Elon Musk who had recently been promoted to oversee sales and production in North America and Europe, also left the company. That same month, Jenna Ferrua, Tesla’s North America HR Director, stepped down. Earlier this year, key executives in AI and the Optimus humanoid robot project also exited.
Meanwhile, Tesla’s core automotive business is facing headwinds. Sales of its high-end models have slipped. U.S. deliveries of the Model S plunged 70.9% year-over-year in Q2, dropping to just 1,435 units, according to Cox Automotive. On the other hand, mass-market favorites Model Y and Model 3 continue to dominate the EV space, selling over 134,000 units combined and accounting for 43% of all EVs sold in the U.S. last quarter.
In response to slowing premium sales, Tesla recently updated the Model S and Model X, adding enhanced suspension tuning, improved cabin noise insulation, a new paint option, and a modest range boost. The company also rolled out a more affordable Cybertruck variant earlier this year. Global expansion is also picking up pace. Tesla just made its official debut in India, opening a showroom in Mumbai with pricing starting around $71,200. First deliveries are expected later this quarter.
Still, Tesla’s corporate governance continues to raise eyebrows. Earlier this month, Wedbush analyst Dan Ives urged the board to grant Musk 25% voting power, while also calling for greater oversight of his political activity and time commitments. Musk’s response was just a blunt “Shut up, Dan!” posted on X.
