Tesla’s chief financial officer, Zach Kirkhom, has unexpectedly left the company, the automaker announced Monday. In filings with the US Securities and Exchange Commission, Tesla submitted documents that Kirkhom left his position last Friday.
Kirkhom, who was named Tesla’s chief financial officer in 2019, has been replaced by Vaibhav Taneja, the company’s chief accounting officer. Taneja will now make both positions compatible. Kirkhom contributed to his departure from Tesla in a message posted on the Linkedin social network, in which he applauded the work of the company’s employees and thanked the CEO, Elon Musk, for his “optimism”, but did not offer details of the reasons for his abrupt departure.
“Being a part of this company is a special experience and I am very proud of the work we have done since I was hired 13 years ago,” he explained. “I also want to thank Elon for his leadership and optimism, which has inspired so many people,” he added. Kirkhorn made Tesla even late in the year to help in the transition. Taneja, who joined Tesla in 2017, is the electric car company’s third chief financial officer.