Tesla just lost the head of its robotics division

The top of engineering for Optimus, Tesla’s humanoid robotic division, left the corporate on Friday. Milan Kovac introduced his departure on X, insisting that it “is not going to change a factor” concerning the firm’s plans, which, as of March, meant constructing hundreds of robots this 12 months alone.

Kovac insisted that he was leaving Tesla solely to “spend extra time with household overseas,” including that his “assist for @elonmusk and the crew is ironclad,” heading off hypothesis that his exit might need been prompted by Musk’s political exercise or latest public squabble with Donald Trump. In his own tweet, Musk thanked Kovac for his “excellent contribution to Tesla over the previous decade.”

Bloomberg reports that Autopilot chief Ashok Elluswamy will take over duty for Optimus, which is at a crucial stage. In March Musk claimed the corporate might make “at the very least one legion of robots this 12 months after which in all probability 10 legions subsequent 12 months,” which might imply round 5,000 robots by the top of this 12 months, and 50,000 in 2026. To take action, it must overcome China’s recent restrictions on exports of uncommon earth minerals and magnets, that are important for the robots’ building.