A brand new report claims that Tesla’s head of China, Tom Zhu, is in line for a much bigger position on the automaker amid rumors that he was taking up Elon Musk as CEO.

Earlier this month, we reported on a rumor that Zhu, president of Tesla China, would substitute Musk as CEO of Tesla.

We had been skeptical of the report because it got here from a Chinese language outlet that was simply discovered responsible of spreading pretend information about Tesla in China and requested to compensate the corporate.

Nevertheless, different studies at the moment are beginning to add validity to Zhu not less than having a larger position at Tesla albeit not essentially the position of CEO.

We did report earlier this month that Zhu was tapped to go lead Gigafactory Texas – although it’s unclear if the position is everlasting.

Now Reuters studies that Zhu is in line for “a extra senior and wider-ranging position at Tesla” and that he seems to be leaving his position in China:

Nevertheless, Zhu’s colleagues in Shanghai imagine he’s in line for a extra senior and wider-ranging position at Tesla, the 2 individuals mentioned.

An in depth aide to Zhu in Shanghai circulated a farewell poem for the China boss in latest weeks on social media, anticipating his new task, in accordance with the message reviewed by Reuters.

Zhu has beforehand obtained reward and credit score from Musk for Tesla’s success in China and particularly for the success of Gigafactory Shanghai, which is now Tesla’s best manufacturing facility.

Electrek’s Take

A risk right here is that Zhu would tackle a task of both President of Tesla or President of Tesla Automotive.

There’s precedent for these positions.

Whereas nobody presently holds these roles at Tesla, the corporate beforehand had Jon McNeil as “President of Gross sales and Companies”, a wide-ranging position inside the firm’s operations earlier than he left for Lyft in 2018. His duties reportedly went to Musk when he left.

Across the identical time, Jerome Guillen was made Tesla’s first “president of automotive” in command of “all automotive operations and program administration” and reporting on to Musk as a part of a administration reshuffle.

Guillen had been with Tesla for a very long time in varied crucial roles on the firm starting from head of the Mannequin S program to VP of operations.

By early 2021, Tesla transitioned Guillen away from his position as President of Automotive, and he went again to only main the Tesla Semi program. He left Tesla shortly after.

A job just like this one doubtless is what the studies are literally speaking about for Zhu somewhat than the position of CEO.