Ashok Elluswamy: From Chennai boy to Tesla robotics chief

His LinkedIn profile says it all:

"Robotics engineer with broad experience from computer vision and perception through planning and control."

Ashok Elluswamy — longtime leader of Tesla’s Autopilot effort is stepping up to lead the Optimus humanoid robot program, following the departure of Milan Kovac.

On June 6, 2025, Milan Kovac, who has been steering the Optimus project since 2022 and was promoted to Vice President in September 2024, announced on X (formerly Twitter) that he is stepping down to return to family abroad. 

Tesla confirmed his departure is immediate. Enter Ashok, a Tesla veteran (he has been working with the EV maker for 11 years and 6 months).

His inspiration? Solving "meaningful and challenging real-world problems".

Despite his long career at Tesla, Ashok is an outlier — a soft-spoken engineer, almost the complete opposite of his boss Elon Musk.

Now, Ashok's quiet ascent has placed him at the heart of Tesla’s most ambitious projects.

His mantra is almost disarmingly simple: “Eager to work hard and learn continuously.”

In a world obsessed with bold claims and flashy launches, that attitude (learning continuously) is the defining goal, akin to the pursuit of 99.99% (and the endless march of 9's). It's like software or operating system that continuously updates.

And that's the key to self-driving vehicles, an industry Ashok is making a massive difference in. From EV to humanoid robots, Elluswamy is the man steering the future of AI at Tesla.

Early June 2025: Bloomberg reported that Ashok Elluswamy, currently Tesla’s Autopilot software director and Vice President of AI, will take over Optimus leadership.

Elon Musk reaffirmed Tesla’s long-term vision: “The only things that matter in the long term are autonomy and Optimus”.

Who is Ashok Elluswamy?

Ashok Elluswamy is a lifelong technologist and AI enthusiast:

Education and early career
Born in Chennai, India, he earned his Bachelor’s in Electronics & Communication from the College of Engineering, Guindy, later obtaining an MS in Robot Systems Development at Carnegie Mellon University.

Early roles included stints at WABCO Vehicle Control Systems and an internship at Volkswagen’s Electronic Research Lab.

Tesla career

He was the first software engineer hired for Autopilot in June 2014 rising to senior engineer and then Director of Autopilot Software by May 2019 

His team’s work spans perception, neural networks, fleet-learning, and motion planning.

Musk regularly credits Elluswamy’s leadership for transforming Tesla from a car company into an AI pioneer — resharing a 2015 tweet that named Ashok as the first hire on the Autopilot team.

Most recently, Musk echoed this sentiment again in early June, spotlighting Ashok’s role.

Optimus, originally revealed during Tesla’s August 2021 AI Day, has since evolved through successive generations — with Gen 2 now capable of tasks like egg-handling, yoga poses, and basic factory work.

Tesla plans production by the end of 2025, targeting thousands of units in its factories.

Under Elluswamy’s leadership, Tesla expects a tighter integration between its Autopilot AI and Optimus systems — reflecting his deep expertise in neural networks, perception, and decision-making.

Strategic continuity: Elluswamy brings institutional knowledge from Tesla’s autonomy programs, ensuring a seamless transition.

Unified AI vision: Merging Autopilot and Optimus leadership can optimize R&D, while aligning with Musk’s vision of autonomy as central to Tesla’s future.

Operational boost: With production slated for later this year, steady leadership is critical to meet robot goals amid technical challenges like rare-earth magnet shortages.

Ashok Elluswamy’s ascent is a testament to his long-standing technical prowess and leadership. From pioneering Tesla’s first Autopilot neural nets to now guiding the next frontier of humanoid robotics, his journey reflects both personal dedication and Tesla’s grand ambitions.

As Optimus moves from vision to production, all eyes are on whether Elluswamy can replicate his Autopilot success—and help usher in a future where robots and cars share the same AI backbone.