How much pressure do Tesla employees face when working with Elon Musk? Elon Musk just purged one of Tesla’s most powerful executives as the company spirals through a storm of collapsing sales and global backlash.

Elon Musk Fires Tesla VP Omead Afshar Amid Mounting Crisis: Is the Maverick CEO Now Tesla’s Biggest Liability?

Once the undisputed trailblazer of the electric vehicle (EV) revolution, Tesla now finds itself navigating treacherous terrain. The latest sign of turbulence: CEO Elon Musk has reportedly fired Omead Afshar, Tesla’s Vice President of Manufacturing and Operations, in the wake of dismal sales figures and escalating political controversies that have battered the company’s brand and market standing.

A Shake-up at the Core

Afshar, a longtime Musk confidant, was more than just an executive—he was a linchpin in Tesla’s operational hierarchy, overseeing a high-powered team that included Troy Jones (VP of North American Sales), Joe Ward (VP for Europe, Middle East, and Africa), and Karen Steakley, a seasoned political strategist. His sudden dismissal, first reported by Forbes and later corroborated by Bloomberg and CNBC, is a stark indicator of the deepening crisis within Tesla’s ranks.

Sales Slump and Eroding Brand Loyalty

Tesla’s troubles are not confined to its C-suite. The company’s stock has plummeted 19% year-to-date, sharply underperforming both the Nasdaq and its mega-cap tech peers. In Europe—a market once dominated by Tesla—new car sales have declined for five consecutive months, according to the European Automobile Manufacturers Association (ACEA). European consumers are increasingly turning to local EV brands and affordable Chinese alternatives, signaling a shift in loyalty that would have seemed unthinkable just a few years ago.

The Tesla badge, once synonymous with innovation and environmental stewardship, no longer dazzles as it once did. Today, consumers are prioritizing reliability, affordability, and trust—areas where Tesla is starting to stumble.

Leadership Turmoil and Political Backlash

Afshar’s ouster follows the quiet exit of another key leader: Milan Kovac, who headed Tesla’s Optimus humanoid robotics program. Kovac’s departure, publicly framed as a desire to spend more time with family, only adds to the perception of instability at the top.

Meanwhile, Elon Musk’s increasingly erratic public persona and overt political involvement have become a double-edged sword. Over the past year, Musk has made headlines for his partisan stances, including reportedly contributing nearly $300 million to support Donald Trump’s re-election and endorsing Germany’s far-right AfD party—a move that has alienated investors and customers alike in one of Tesla’s most crucial markets.

The political fallout is real. Tesla faces reputational damage from social media controversies, high-profile lawsuits, and safety recalls. More troubling is the potential long-term impact on consumer sentiment, especially in markets where environmental and progressive values run deep. For a brand built on green innovation, any association with far-right movements is particularly toxic.

A Culture of Volatility

Afshar’s own journey at Tesla underscores the company’s unpredictable internal culture. In 2022, he was investigated over orders of rare construction materials—allegedly for a secret Musk-directed project—and temporarily reassigned to SpaceX before being reinstated and promoted at Tesla. His arc from investigation to exile, redemption, and now termination highlights a volatile environment where loyalty to Musk can be both a ticket to the top and a trapdoor.

In a twist of irony, Afshar’s public profile still lists him as a Tesla executive, and just days before his firing, he publicly praised Musk for the launch of Tesla’s pilot Robotaxi service in Austin, Texas—a final act of loyalty that now seems either deeply ironic or tragically misplaced.

A Company at a Crossroads

Insiders speculate that Afshar’s firing may be an act of scapegoating, intended to deflect blame from Musk’s own missteps. While Afshar played a pivotal operational role, he was ultimately executing Musk’s vision—a vision that has recently veered from pioneering innovation to ideological crusades and impulsive business pivots.

Tesla’s challenges are mounting. Beyond declining sales and executive churn, the company is under immense pressure to deliver on ambitious promises around its Robotaxi and Optimus humanoid projects. With legacy automakers and new EV entrants closing the gap, Tesla can no longer rely on novelty or brand cachet alone.

The Road Ahead

So far, Tesla has issued no official comment on Afshar’s departure, and requests for response from the board and executive leadership have gone unanswered. But investors are taking notice. Analysts are questioning not just Tesla’s sky-high valuation, but its governance model, which remains tightly centralized around Musk.

The question now facing Tesla is existential: Is its greatest asset—its maverick CEO—becoming its biggest liability?

As the global EV race accelerates and sentiment toward Tesla grows increasingly uncertain, the firing of Omead Afshar is more than just a personnel change. It signals deeper turbulence within the company—a potential unraveling of the command structure that powered Tesla’s rise to dominance.

Whether Musk tightens his grip or Tesla begins to decentralize and stabilize remains to be seen. But one thing is clear: In the Elon Musk era, no seat at Tesla is ever truly secure.