KATHMANDU: Tesla CEO Elon Musk has acknowledged that the company lacks enough experienced employees to manage multiple vehicle programs simultaneously. He says the company needs to focus its resources on the Cybercab rather than continuing Cybertruck production.
Responding to a discussion on X, Musk said Tesla has a limited number of skilled and dedicated employees. Maintaining the Cybertruck’s production line, supply chain and engineering operations would prevent the company from using those resources to increase Cybercab production.
The comments follow Tesla’s announcement that it will wind down Cybertruck production at its Texas factory around mid-2027 to make room for increased Cybercab production.
Tesla is also discontinuing the Model S and Model X, with their production lines at the Fremont factory being converted for Optimus humanoid robot manufacturing. As a result, the company’s consumer vehicle lineup is expected to focus mainly on the Model 3 and Model Y.
The company has also lost several senior executives and key engineering personnel in recent years. Among them are former CFO Zach Kirkhorn, powertrain engineering executive Drew Baglino, former Supercharging head Rebecca Tinucci and software engineering executive David Lau.
Tesla has also seen departures from its vehicle development teams. Cybertruck program head Siddhant Awasthi and Model Y program manager Emmanuel Lamacchia left in November 2025. Several key employees associated with the Cybercab program have also departed during 2026.
Musk’s comments highlight the growing importance of retaining experienced employees as Tesla shifts its focus towards autonomous vehicles and robotics.
However, the company’s increasing focus on robotaxis comes amid strong competition from Waymo, Zoox and China’s Baidu, which are expanding their driverless vehicle operations.
