Photo :AI-generated.

June 13, 2025

Anna Murray 

On June 6, 2025, Milan Kovac, Tesla’s Vice President in charge of the Optimus humanoid robot initiative, announced his departure from the company after more than nine years of service. He cited a personal desire to spend more time with his family overseas, stressing that the decision was entirely personal and unrelated to any internal company matters.

Kovac assumed leadership of the Optimus program in September 2024 and played a key role in advancing its development, as Tesla moves toward scaling up robot production later this year. The Optimus platform is central to Tesla’s broader vision of building adaptable, software-driven machines that can be manufactured efficiently and deployed across a wide range of applications.

Following Kovac’s departure, leadership of the Optimus program will transition to Ashok Elluswamy, the current head of Tesla’s Autopilot division. The company continues to navigate external challenges, including growing concerns over global supply chain disruptions and China’s export restrictions on rare-earth materials critical to the robotics industry.