Elon Musk fires one of Tesla's top executives amid prolonged sales decline

Tesla CEO Elon Musk has fired Omid Afshar, the company's head of manufacturing and operations in North America and Europe, Forbes and Bloomberg reported.

The decision comes amid a five-month decline in Tesla electric vehicle sales in Europe, with new car sales down 27.9% in May compared to May last year. Sales in China also fell 15% in May.

Afshar had worked for Musk-owned companies since 2017 and was appointed to his current position last year. His dismissal came shortly after Milan Kovacs, the project leader for Tesla's humanoid robot Optimus, left the company.

Afshar's dismissal is linked to Musk's desire to stabilize and improve the situation amid public discontent and protest sentiments against the company. Tesla is becoming vulnerable to fluctuations in public opinion - unlike SpaceX, which continues to win government contracts. Tesla has been criticized for Musk's political activism, his ambiguous public appearances, scandalous posts and conflicts with the press.

Recall that, against the backdrop of these changes, Tesla launched a pilot robotaxi program in Austin, which is an attempt to change public discourse and restore trust in the brand.