Elon Musk has fired one of Tesla’s top executives, Omead Afshar, who led sales and operations across North America and Europe. This move comes as Tesla struggles with falling electric vehicle sales and profits. Afshar, known as Musk’s right-hand man, got the axe after nearly eight years at the company.
Afshar was promoted just last year to fix Tesla’s struggling business in these key regions. Despite his close ties to Musk, sales kept dropping under his watch. Tesla sold fewer cars in 2024 than 2023 – their first-ever yearly decline. Things got worse in 2025 with profits crashing 71% in the first quarter.
European sales tanked nearly 28% in May compared to last year. North American numbers also disappointed. Afshar couldn’t turn things around even after Musk gave him this big promotion. His dismissal shows nobody’s safe when results don’t measure up.
Just days before getting fired, Afshar tweeted praise for Tesla’s robotaxi launch in Texas. He called it “absolutely historic” and thanked Musk. Now he’s out with no explanation from Tesla. This proves Musk demands constant wins, not just cheerleading.
Musk’s political moves haven’t helped Tesla either. His support for President Trump and conservative causes turned off liberal buyers. Even though Musk quit Trump’s team recently, the damage was done. Woke activists keep attacking Tesla for not bowing to their agenda.
Afshar had survived past troubles at Tesla. Back in 2022, he nearly got fired over a “special glass” purchase that sparked an internal probe. This time, falling sales sealed his fate. Musk won’t tolerate failure, especially with Tesla’s stock price hurting.
Tesla faces brutal competition from companies like Volkswagen in Europe. Government EV handouts helped rivals close the gap. Tesla built its lead through hard work and innovation, not handouts. Now regulators push policies that punish success and reward mediocrity.
Musk made the tough call to fire his own guy because Tesla’s mission matters more than loyalty. Real leaders hold people accountable, even friends. This shows Musk won’t let feelings block the hard choices needed to save American jobs and keep Tesla winning.
