Tesla's Senior Vice President of Automotive, Tom Zhu, is reportedly returning to China after assisting in the global operations of the automaker last year. Zhu, who was transferred from Gigafactory China to Giga Austin to aid in the production ramp-up, will resume his role as SVP of Greater China, according to multiple local sources.
His return coincides with a series of executive departures amid a broader restructuring effort at Tesla, which has seen several rounds of layoffs starting in mid-April. This development comes as Tesla gears up to introduce its Full Self-Driving (FSD) software to the Chinese market, sparking speculation about Zhu's move in relation to this rollout outside of North America.
Having joined Tesla in 2018, Zhu is credited with playing a vital role in ramping up production at Giga Shanghai. Following his stint in North America overseeing sales, service, and delivery, Zhu assumed the position of SVP of Automotive, responsible for global manufacturing and sales oversight.
In recent weeks, Tesla has implemented multiple rounds of company-wide layoffs, including entire teams such as advertising and Supercharging, alongside departures of long-serving executives like SVP Powertrain and Engineering Drew Baglino, VP of Public Policy and Business Development Rohan Patel, VP of Investor Relations Martin Viecha, Senior Director of HR Allie Arebalo, among others.
With Tesla's tentative approval for FSD in China, making it the first market outside of North America to receive the semi-autonomous driver assistance software, Bank of America estimates potential yearly earnings of up to $2.3 billion by 2030 from its introduction.
