Tesla’s top sales executive in North America has left the company – the latest in a crushing talent exodus as Elon Musk’s carmaker suffers a sales slump, according to a report Tuesday.
Troy Jones, vice president of sales in Tesla’s largest market, has quit after 15 years at the electric vehicle maker, sources familiar with the matter told the Wall Street Journal.
His departure comes less than a month after Omead Afshar, Musk’s top aide, fled the company.
Afshar had been promoted less than a year earlier to a high-profile position managing all of sales and manufacturing operations in North America and Europe.
The company also lost a top human resources executive in June, when Jenna Ferrua, who oversaw the North America division, departed.
Earlier this year, Tesla suffered a huge blow when top AI executive Milan Kovac left the company.
Kovac had served as a vice president of engineering and oversaw the development of Tesla’s Optimus humanoid robots – a division that Musk has talked up for years as a major opportunity for the company.
Tesla did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for comment.
The flock of departures comes as Tesla has been trampled by increased EV competition, especially from Chinese rivals like BYD.
BYD has quickly overtaken Tesla to become the world’s largest manufacturer of EVs, surpassing $100 billion in revenue for the first time last year.
Musk, who once scoffed at the idea that BYD could ever be a rival, returned from a trip to China last year believing that China had won the EV race, a former Tesla executive recently told the Financial Times.
Making matters worse is Musk’s White House stint at DOGE, his brainchild cost-cutting agency.
While his time there only lasted 130 days, it has resulted in lasting reputation damage for his brand – as angry demonstrators set Tesla vehicles ablaze and vandalized showrooms in protest.
Tesla has tried to win back customers with vehicle remodels, releasing a revamped version of its popular Model Y midsize SUV in March and a cheaper version of its Cybertruck in April.
It launched upgraded versions of its Model S and Model X luxury vehicles with higher price tags in June.
Executives at the company have largely shrugged off concerns, instead pointing to growth opportunities with its Full Self-Driving technology – which has repeatedly been stalled by regulatory hurdles – and its humanoid robots.
Musk finally launched his long-awaited robotaxi service in Austin, Texas last month.
Shares in Tesla plunged 1.5% Tuesday.
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