Siddhant Awasthi, head of Tesla Inc’s Cybertruck programme, announced on Sunday that he is leaving the company after more than eight years of service.

Awasthi, who began at Tesla as an intern and quickly rose through engineering ranks, oversaw the pickup’s transition from design to production and took on additional leadership of the Model 3 lineup in July.

In his LinkedIn farewell, Awasthi reflected that “eight years ago, when I started as an intern, I never dreamed I’d one day have the opportunity to lead the Cybertruck programme and bring it to reality.” His tenure encompassed product strategy, quality enhancements and supply-chain oversight for the vehicle—the most visible EV effort beyond Tesla’s core sedan and crossover offerings.

The departure comes at a critical time for Tesla.

The company posted a record delivery quarter in Q3 2025, aided by a rush of U.S. buyers seeking to claim the $7,500 electric-vehicle tax credit before the September deadline.

However, analysts expect a drop-off in Q4 as incentives expire.

The Cybertruck itself has faced headwinds: discounts on inventory have mounted and a recall filing earlier this year showed that 46,096 units were produced between its November 2023 launch and early 2025.

Awasthi’s exit underscores the leadership changes underway at Tesla as it navigates slower demand, production ramp-up challenges and an increasingly crowded EV market.

While the company did not publicly comment on his replacement, the move will likely intensify scrutiny on Cybertruck’s sales trajectory and Tesla’s capacity to deliver innovation at scale.

As Tesla transitions to its next phase, Awasthi’s departure closes a pivotal chapter in the Cybertruck programme—but leaves an open question of what comes next for one of the company’s most ambitious vehicles.