Tesla Engineer Exits After 8 Years, Citing Concerns Over Elon Musk’s Leadership

After eight years with Tesla, Giorgio Balestrieri, an algorithm engineer for the company’s Autobidder energy trading platform, has announced his departure, citing CEO Elon Musk’s leadership as the driving reason. 

In a candid LinkedIn post, Balestrieri said he could no longer reconcile Musk’s growing influence at Tesla with the company’s mission of accelerating sustainable energy.

Criticism at Tesla leadership

Balestrieri alleged that Musk has undermined Tesla’s vision and even harmed democratic institutions. He criticized Musk’s support of political figures opposed to climate action, writing that it was not only a matter of politics but also of “lying to the public, manipulating discourse, and supporting climate change deniers.” 

The comments reflect broader frustrations among employees who joined Tesla for its clean energy mission but are unsettled by management decisions they see as conflicting with those goals, according to CarUp.

Contributions to Tesla Energy

Despite his criticisms, Balestrieri praised Tesla Energy’s growth, noting how the Autobidder operational fleet in Europe expanded from 14 MWh in 2020 to 1.3 GWh in 2025, and how global energy storage deployments grew from 350 MWh in 2017 to over 31 GWh in 2024. 

He credited Tesla colleagues for their role in advancing sustainable energy technologies but stressed that he could not remain at the company given Musk’s influence. Balestrieri said he plans to take time off before beginning his next venture.

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