Ashok Elluswamy, the Indian-origin engineer who currently heads Tesla’s Autopilot team, will now assume leadership of the company’s Optimus humanoid robot programme following the resignation of long-time executive Milan Kovac. 

“Over the past nine-plus years, I’ve had the immense privilege of working with some of the most brilliant minds in AI and engineering. I’ve built friendships that will last a lifetime. This week, I had to make the most difficult decision of my life and will be stepping down from my position. I’ve been far away from home for too long and need to spend more time with my family abroad. I want to make it clear that this is the only reason and has absolutely nothing to do with anything else. My support for @elonmusk and the team is ironclad – Tesla team forever,” Kovac said in a post on X.

With Kovac stepping down, Tesla is entrusting Ashok Elluswamy with the dual responsibility of leading both the Autopilot and Optimus programmes. A seasoned engineer, Elluswamy has played a key role in the development of Tesla’s autonomous driving systems.