Elon Musk is certainly the most powerful and best known figure at Tesla as its CEO and shareholder. So who is the second most influential figure in the electric car company? The answer is Tom Zhu, Tesla's boss for the China region.
Well, Tom Zhu has been promoted to directly oversee the Tesla assembly plant. Tesla Zhu's Vice President title for Greater China has not changed and that he also remains Tesla's most senior executive controlling sales across Asia
The move makes Zhu the top executive at Tesla after Elon Musk. He directly oversees Tesla's shipments in all of its major markets and the operation of its main production centers.
Zhu's appointment to a global role comes as Musk has been distracted by the Twitter acquisition and he is being pressed by investors to focus on Tesla. Tesla said it delivered 405,278 vehicles in the fourth quarter, far below Wall Street estimates.
Zhu himself achieved great in China where Tesla's sales recovered quickly after the Corona pandemic. It is possible that in the future, he will have an even bigger role at Tesla. It doesn't even rule out the possibility that one day he will become Elon Musk's successor.
As quoted by us from CNBC, Zhu was born in China but currently holds a New Zealand passport. He is known as a hard worker, even sleeping in Tesla's office during the peak of the Corona pandemic in China, so that operations can continue.
Tom Zhu is known as a calm manager, with a short haircut, likes fur jackets and lives in a government subsidized apartment 10 minutes drive from the Shanghai Gigafactory. It is not yet clear whether he will move on after his promotion.