Raj Jegannathan, Tesla’s vice president of IT, has departed the company after more than 13 years, marking another leadership shift at the automaker during a challenging period for its sales performance. Jegannathan, who reported directly to CEO Elon Musk, stepped down over the weekend, according to people familiar with the situation. Jegannathan had taken over leadership of Tesla’s North America sales and service operations in July, succeeding Troy Jones. His tenure came amid a turbulent phase for the company’s sales strategy, as Tesla reported a 16% year-over-year decline in vehicle deliveries during the first quarter of 2024—the second consecutive year of falling deliveries. During his time in charge, Jegannathan focused on integrating AI tools into sales and service workflows, aiming to improve efficiency and customer support. He emphasized the importance of a comprehensive, end-to-end understanding of the business to effectively leverage AI for tangible results. In a LinkedIn post on Monday, Jegannathan reflected on his time at Tesla, noting the significance of aligning technology and operations to drive meaningful outcomes. He has not been active on internal company systems since late January and reportedly had minimal involvement with the sales team in recent months. Prior to leading sales, Jegannathan built his career in engineering and IT, not in sales or customer-facing roles. His appointment to the sales leadership team was seen as a move to bring a tech-driven approach to the business, particularly as Musk focused on his role in the federal government’s Department of Government Efficiency—a position he held before the initiative was dissolved. Jegannathan’s exit follows a broader trend of leadership departures at Tesla over the past year. Omead Afshar, one of Musk’s top executives, left in June, followed by Milan Kovac, head of Tesla’s robotics division, who departed the same month. The departures underscore ongoing changes within the company’s upper ranks. Tesla and Jegannathan have not responded to requests for comment.