Milan Kovac, the Vice President and head of Tesla's Optimus humanoid robot program, announced his decision to step down from his role in a post on X (formerly Twitter) on Friday. Kovac cited personal reasons for his departure, specifically the desire to spend more time with his family abroad after a prolonged period away from home, emphasizing this as the sole reason for his resignation.

Kovac had been instrumental in the Optimus program, taking the lead in 2022 as Director of Optimus and Autopilot Engineering before being promoted to Vice President in September of the subsequent year. According to Bloomberg News, which first reported the development, Kovac's departure is effective immediately. Ashok Elluswamy, who currently leads Tesla's Autopilot software teams, is slated to assume Kovac's responsibilities and spearhead the Optimus project. Neither Tesla nor Elluswamy provided immediate comments on the transition when approached by Reuters.

The Optimus program represents a significant future venture for Tesla. CEO Elon Musk has expressed ambitious goals, previously stating an expectation for Tesla to manufacture thousands of Optimus robots within the current year. However, Musk also noted in April that the production of these humanoid robots had faced challenges due to China's export restrictions on rare-earth magnets, which are vital components.

Tesla has been increasingly focusing its strategic efforts on the development and deployment of the Optimus robots and its anticipated robotaxi service. The success of these initiatives is considered pivotal for the company's long-term valuation and technological leadership. Musk underscored this strategic importance in a May interview with CNBC, stating, "The only things that matter in the long term are autonomy and Optimus."