After smoking marijuana, Elon Musk rejigs top Tesla management
San Francisco, Sep 8 : Creating a storm by smoking marijuana during a live podcast that led to Tesla stocks crashing 10 per cent to hit the lowest level since 2016, Chairman and CEO Elon Musk on Saturday announced a major shake-up in the top echelons of the electric car-making company.
Tesla's shares tanked on Friday after its two top executives --including chief accounting officer Dave Morton -- announced they would quit after Musk was filmed smoking marijuana during a podcast hosted by comedian Joe Rogan.
In a new blog post, Musk announced a number of top management changes after discussing with the Tesla board of directors and executive staff.
"Jerome Guillen has been promoted to President, Automotive, reporting directly to me. In his new role, Jerome will oversee all automotive operations and programme management, as well as coordinate our extensive automotive supply chain," said Musk.
Kevin Kassekert has been promoted as Vice President of People and Places, with responsibility for human resources, facilities, construction and infrastructure development.
"As many of you know, Tesla's Chief People Officer Gaby Toledano has been on leave for a few months to spend more time with her family and has decided to continue doing so for personal reasons," Musk added.
Chris Lister who joined Tesla last year and was key to solving production problems at the Gigafactory in Nevada and ramping Model 3 production has been promoted to Vice President, Gigafactory Operations.
"In this role, he leads our production and manufacturing engineering at Giga. Before Tesla, Chris ran several ultra high volume factories at PepsiCo," Musk informed, adding that Laurie Shelby, Tesla's VP, Environmental, Health and Safety (EHS) will also report directly to him.
"We are about to have the most amazing quarter in our history, building and delivering more than twice as many cars as we did last quarter.
"For a while, there will be a lot of fuss and noise in the media. Just ignore them. Results are what matter and we are creating the most mind-blowing growth in the history of the automotive industry," Musk wrote.
Dave Arnold has been promoted to Senior Director, Global Communications, overseeing Tesla's communications team. Musk also announced a new product lineup.
"There is the Model Y, the Tesla (pickup) Truck, the Semi and the new Roadster. Then there is the Solar Roof, which is spooling up in production, and continued advancements in Powerwall and Powerpack. And that's just what people know about," he said.
On Friday, Tesla shares dropped to nearly $252 -- their biggest single-day drop in two years after Musk was seen smoking weed on the show.
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West Asia crisis: MEA establishes control room to assist Indians
New Delhi (PTI): The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has set up a control room to assist those affected by the escalating crisis in West Asia.
The MEA has said almost one crore Indian citizens live in West Asia and their safety and well-being is of "utmost priority" for New Delhi.
As the Iran-US conflict widened, the Indian embassy in Iran moved hundreds of Indian students from the Iranian capital of Tehran to safer locations.
"A Control Room has been set up in the Ministry of External Affairs in view of the current situation in West Asia and the Gulf region," the MEA said on Wednesday.
"The Control Room can be contacted from 9 am to 9 pm at: 1800118797 (Toll Free) +91 11 2301 2113, +91 11 2301 4104, +91 11 2301 7905," it added.
The US launched military strikes on Iran on February 28, killing Iranian Supreme leader Ali Khamenei.
Following the military offensive, Iran has carried out a wave of attacks mainly targeting Israel and American military bases in several Gulf countries, including the UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait, Jordan and Saudi Arabia.
The MEA on Tuesday noted that almost one crore Indian citizens live and work in the Gulf region, and their "safety and well-being is of utmost priority."
"We cannot be impervious to any development that negatively affects them," it said.
The MEA said New Delhi will continue to closely monitor the evolving situation and take relevant decisions in the national interest, adding it is in touch with the governments in the region as well as other key partners.
A Special Control Room has been set up in the Ministry of External Affairs in view of the current situation in West Asia and the Gulf region. Details are as below ⬇️
— Randhir Jaiswal (@MEAIndia) March 4, 2026
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