(Bloomberg) – The leader of Tesla Inc. ‘s Optimus program leaves the company, according to a person familiar with the matter, and has injected uncertainty into the humanoid robotic attempt that Elon Musk considers an important part of his future business. Milan Kovac, the head of engineering for Optimus, informed colleagues on Friday that he was immediately in force, said the person, who asked not to be identified about private information. Ashok Elluswamy, who leads Tesla’s autopilot teams, will take over the responsibility for Optimus, the person said. Kovac, Elluswamy and Musk did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Musk praised Kovac and Elluswamy in a social media post on June 2 as two “key people” in the company’s artificial intelligence operations that were there from the start. Musk is increasingly betting Tesla’s future on robotics, along with artificial intelligence and driverless cars, as the traditional electric vehicle business faces challenges. Car manufacturer sales have been crattered in key markets due to lukewarm demand and a setback from the consumer over the political activity of the CEO. This week, Musk’s relationship with President Donald Trump broke out in a public feud, increasing further risks to Tesla on the regulatory front. Tesla attracted attention in October when he used optimus prototypes to tend a bar and communicate with guests during a quick event in the Los Angeles area to generate investor enthusiasm for emerging products. Bloomberg then reported that people were used to control some capabilities of the robots remotely. Musk said Optimus, which would handle many household tasks, could be ‘the largest product ever of any kind’. The robots can eventually be available to consumers for $ 20,000 to $ 30,000 each, Musk said. The robot’s capabilities have long been closely watched by investors, even if the launch of the product remains uncertain. Observers noted in 2022 when an early prototype had to be carried by people on stage. On the most recent Tesla earnings call, Musk said he expects thousands of optimus robots to work in Tesla’s own facilities by the end of this year. He also predicted that Tesla would be able to build millions of units a year by the end of the decade. -With help from Kara Carlson. (Updates with Musk Post in the fourth paragraph.) More stories like these are available on Bloomberg.com © 2025 Bloomberg MP
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