• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

Philanthropy leader at Warren Buffett and Bill Gates’ Giving Pledge says children of billionaires are pushing them to give their wealth away faster

2

Meet a 71-year-old who retired as a radiologist and professor, and now runs a banana-skewer business: ‘I never want to retire. Why would you do that?’

3

China suffers another setback in effort to de-dollarize global finance as anchor in the greenback's dominance quietly exits Beijing's payment scheme

1

Philanthropy leader at Warren Buffett and Bill Gates’ Giving Pledge says children of billionaires are pushing them to give their wealth away faster

2

Meet a 71-year-old who retired as a radiologist and professor, and now runs a banana-skewer business: ‘I never want to retire. Why would you do that?’

3

China suffers another setback in effort to de-dollarize global finance as anchor in the greenback's dominance quietly exits Beijing's payment scheme

Tesla’s CFO Is Retiring From the Company—Again

By
Lucas Laursen
Lucas Laursen
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Lucas Laursen
Lucas Laursen
Down Arrow Button Icon
January 31, 2019, 7:17 AM ET
Google source logo
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Tesla CFO Deepak Ahuja is re-retiring from the role—again.

The 56-year-old’s announcement during the automaker’s quarterly earnings conference call on Wednesday gave another push to the Tesla CFO revolving door that’s been spinning for years now.

Ahuja first retired from Tesla in 2015 after a seven-year stint; he’d previously worked at Ford. At the time, Ahuja helped bring on board former Google CFO Jason Wheeler as a replacement. But Wheeler, who oversaw the company’s first profitable quarter in three years, left in 2017, saying he’d found an opportunity in public policy. His LinkedIn profile says he remained a senior advisor at Tesla for six months before becoming a public speaker.

Wheeler’s exit prompted Ahuja come out of retirement, a rather unusual move. (He’d served on the board of directors of FireEye, an information security company, while away.) “This is a unique opportunity to rejoin the talented and driven team at Tesla. Every day they are working passionately to significantly improve the long-term future of humanity,” Ahuja said of his comeback.

Now Ahuja is leaving yet again. He’s departing after overseeing the company’s first two consecutive profitable quarters and nudging revenues over $7 billion for the first time. He’ll be replaced this time by Tesla’s vice president of finance Zach Kirkhorn, who has been at Tesla since 2010. Kirkhorn will take over the CFO gig after a several-month transition period.

On the Wednesday earnings call, Ahuja and CEO Elon Musk exchanged kind words, with Musk saying Ahuja will remain a senior advisor. Investors were less amenable to the news: shares dropped around 6% after Ahuja announced he was leaving.

About the Author
By Lucas Laursen
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in


Most Popular

Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • TikTok icon
  • YouTube icon

    Latest in


    Most Popular

    © 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
    FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.