Gary Zhou 
Key Points
- 🔴 Tesla’s CFO Zach Kirkhorn is stepping down from his position but will remain with the company until the end of 2023.
- 🔄 He will be succeeded by Chief Accounting Officer Vaibhav Taneja.
- 📝 Kirkhorn expressed gratitude for his time at Tesla and highlighted the company’s accomplishments under his leadership.
- 🗓️ Kirkhorn’s departure is scheduled for the end of the year to ensure a smooth transition.
- 🎓 Kirkhorn started at Tesla in 2010, holding various positions before becoming CFO.
- 📈 Tesla’s 8-K filing acknowledges Kirkhorn’s contributions to the company’s expansion and growth.
- 👋 Vaibhav Taneja, the incoming CFO, has been with Tesla since 2017 and previously worked at SolarCity and PricewaterhouseCoopers.
Zach Kirkhorn, CFO of Tesla, has officially announced his departure from the role of Chief Financial Officer. Tesla has indicated that he will continue to be part of the company until the conclusion of 2023.
Tesla made public Kirkhorn’s decision to step down from his current position, revealing that he will be succeeded by Vaibhav Taneja, the Chief Accounting Officer.
Kirkhorn’s LinkedIn post said:
“This morning Tesla announced that I’ve stepped down from my role as Chief Financial Officer, succeeded by our Chief Accounting Officer, Vaibhav Taneja. Being a part of this company is a special experience and I’m extremely proud of the work we’ve done together since I joined over 13 years ago. As I shift my responsibilities to support this transition, I want to thank the talented, passionate, and hard-working employees at Tesla, who have accomplished things many thought not possible. I also want to thank Elon for his leadership and optimism, which has inspired so many people.”
It appears that Kirkhorn will remain with Tesla until the end of 2023, as the wording in the post states that he will “shift responsibilities to support this transition.”
Kirkhorn started at Tesla in 2010 as a Senior Analyst in Finance. He worked at Microsoft prior to Tesla, and attended the prestigious Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, as well as Harvard Business School. CEO Elon Musk also attended the Wharton School, receiving a Bachelor of Science in Economics in the 1990s.
According to Tesla’s 8-K filing this morning, which revealed the news, Kirkhorn stepped down last Friday:
“Mr. Kirkhorn stepped down as of August 4, after a thirteen-year tenure with the company, the last four years of which he has served as Master of Coin and Chief Financial Officer. During his tenure, Tesla has seen tremendous expansion and growth. Tesla thanks Mr. Kirkhorn for his significant contributions. Mr. Kirkhorn will continue to serve Tesla through the end of the year to support a seamless transition.”
Vaibhav Taneja has been with Tesla since 2017 and has been in his current role since March 2019. Previously, he was employed with Tesla subsidiary SolarCity and worked at PricewaterhouseCoopers from 1999 to 2016.
