Tesla VP Quits, Says Working There "Not For The Faint Of Heart"

Sreela Venkataratnam, Vice President at Tesla, has announced her departure from the company after an 11-year tenure. Venkataratnam, one of only two women serving as a Vice President at Tesla, shared her decision via a LinkedIn post this week. In her announcement, she commended Tesla for its accomplishments but noted that working at the automaker was "not for the faint of heart."

Reflecting on her time with Tesla, Venkataratnam described her experience as "nothing short of extraordinary." She expressed pride in the company's remarkable growth, which saw it rise to a valuation of $700 billion. Under her tenure, Tesla's annual revenues approached $100 billion, and the company delivered over 1.8 million cars in a single year, with its market cap even reaching $1 trillion during the pandemic.

In response to a congratulatory comment from Tesla's former CFO Jason Wheeler, who acknowledged the challenges of working at the company, Venkataratnam affirmed that her role at Tesla was "definitely not for the faint of heart."

Venkataratnam's departure follows a series of exits among Tesla's senior employees in recent months. Notably, Drew Baglino, Senior Vice President of Powertrain and Electrical Engineering, left the company shortly before the mass layoffs in April. Additionally, Rohan Patel, VP of Public Policy and Business Development, and Rich Otto, former Head of Product Launches, also resigned amid the layoffs.