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Outbyte PC Repair FREERepair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Outbyte Driver Updater FREEScan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Yes, Tesla’s Optimus leader did leave—but the departure happened on June 6, 2025, not in August 2026. Milan Kovac, who led Tesla’s humanoid-robot program, said he was leaving to spend more time with family abroad. Bloomberg-based reporting said the departure was effective immediately and that Ashok Elluswamy would take over the program.
What Milan Kovac announced
Kovac announced his departure in a post on X on June 6, 2025. He said he had been away from home for too long and needed to spend more time with his family abroad. Kovac described that as the only reason for leaving and expressed continued support for Tesla and CEO Elon Musk, according to TechCrunch’s account.
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That is Kovac’s stated explanation, not independent proof that no other factors were involved. The available reporting does not establish that he left because of technical problems, missed targets, disagreements with Musk, or dissatisfaction with Tesla.
Who Kovac was at Tesla
Kovac joined Tesla in 2016 and worked on Autopilot and other artificial-intelligence-related engineering. He became a leader of the Optimus program in 2022 and was promoted to vice president in September 2024, according to Reuters-syndicated reporting.
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His earlier description of the role included responsibility for Optimus, its engineering teams, and software foundations shared with Autopilot. That made his departure a significant leadership change for a program Tesla has presented as a major future business.
Ashok Elluswamy was reported as his successor
Bloomberg-based reports identified Ashok Elluswamy as the executive taking over Optimus. Elluswamy has led Tesla’s Autopilot and AI-software work, so the change potentially brings the humanoid-robot effort into closer alignment with Tesla’s autonomy and artificial-intelligence organization.
The wording matters: the available reports said Elluswamy would take over, but Tesla’s later public materials do not necessarily confirm that his formal title is “head of Optimus.” Tesla’s June 2026 CVPR event page listed Elluswamy as “VP—AI Software” and featured him discussing foundation models for robotics.
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- Three models, one lightweight platform R1 Air (20 DOF, monocular camera), R1 (26 DOF, binocular camera, head+waist joints), and R1 Edu (26 DOF + SDK/API for programming). All weigh ~29kg / 123cm – one person can lift, move, and fit into a car trunk.
- Easy setup – no coding required for basic use Unbox, power on, and start. Manual teaching feature: physically pose the robot, and it replays the motion. Graphical drag-and-drop programming also available.
- More DOF = more expressive movement 26‑DOF models (R1 / R1 Edu) add head and waist articulation for smoother dance and running. For safety reasons, only basic actions are currently available; advanced movements are not yet released.
- Voice interaction + two color options Responds to English voice commands (music, conversation, photo). Choose Gold or Blue‑White with automotive‑grade gloss paint.
- R1 Edu adds open development SDK/API access for custom programming, simulation platforms, and future Unistore content downloads. Adult use only – under 18 requires adult supervision.
Why the departure mattered
Optimus is a strategically important project for Tesla, not a peripheral research experiment. Tesla’s filings describe it as a general-purpose autonomous humanoid robot and say the company is preparing for large-scale production. An April 2026 filing said first-generation Optimus production lines were being installed in anticipation of volume production.
That context creates two reasonable ways to interpret Kovac’s exit:
- Routine personal departure: Kovac publicly gave a family-related explanation, voiced support for Tesla, and was reportedly succeeded by another senior internal AI executive.
- Execution risk: A senior technical leader left while Tesla was making ambitious claims about factory deployment and future production scale. Leadership turnover can create continuity and execution challenges, particularly in an immature program.
Neither interpretation proves more than the evidence allows. There is no verified evidence that Kovac’s departure caused a delay, redesign, missed target, or internal conflict.
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What Tesla said about Optimus’s ambitions
Contemporaneous reporting quoted Musk as saying Tesla expected thousands of Optimus robots to operate in its factories and wanted to scale toward millions of units per year. Reporting also said Musk had cited supply restrictions involving rare-earth magnets as a factor affecting humanoid-robot production. Those were goals and company statements—not evidence that the stated deployment or production levels had been achieved.
What happened to Optimus afterward?
The strongest available evidence points to continued development rather than cancellation or abandonment:
- Tesla’s first-quarter 2026 filing described preparations and investment for large-scale Optimus production.
- Tesla’s April 2026 filing said first-generation production lines were being installed.
- Tesla’s 2026 CVPR event featured Elluswamy discussing robotics foundation models.
These sources do not establish actual volume-production numbers, commercial customer deliveries, profitability, or broad retail availability. They also do not show whether the leadership transition caused any delay or changed Tesla’s roadmap.
What the departure does—and does not—prove
| Supported by the evidence | Not established by the evidence |
|---|---|
| Kovac announced his departure on June 6, 2025. | That he left because of technical problems or an internal dispute. |
| He said family obligations were the only reason. | That his explanation independently rules out other factors. |
| Elluswamy was reported to be taking over. | That Elluswamy formally holds every part of Kovac’s former remit. |
| Tesla continued investing in Optimus in 2026. | That Optimus had reached mass production or commercial success. |
Bottom line
Tesla’s Optimus robot chief Milan Kovac left the company in June 2025, citing the need to spend more time with family abroad. Ashok Elluswamy was reported as his successor, and Tesla’s 2026 filings and events show that the Optimus project remained active. The leadership change is meaningful, but the available evidence does not support calling it proof that Tesla’s humanoid-robot ambitions failed, were delayed, or were abandoned.
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