Tesla Optimus robotics vice president Milan Kovac is leaving the company

Milan Kovac, the vice president of Tesla's Optimus robotics division, announced his departure from the company on Friday. In a heartfelt message shared on social media platform X, Kovac expressed gratitude towards Tesla CEO Elon Musk for the invaluable experiences gained during his tenure, which started in 2016. Kovac's post highlighted the lessons learned under Musk's guidance, stating, "I want to thank @elonmusk from the bottom of my heart for his trust and teachings over the decade we've worked together." He emphasized the importance of resilience and engineering principles, reassuring that Tesla is destined for success: "Tesla will win, I guarantee you that." Tesla's ambitious Optimus project aims to create a bipedal, intelligent robot that could revolutionize various sectors, from factory operations to domestic tasks like babysitting. According to a recent update from Tesla, the company anticipates initiating builds of Optimus on its Fremont production line by 2025, with plans for deploying robots capable of performing meaningful work across their facilities. During the company's 2024 annual shareholder meeting, Musk described himself as "pathologically optimistic" and predicted that the introduction of humanoid robots might elevate Tesla's market capitalization to a staggering $25 trillion in the future. Recently, Musk shared insights with CNBC, revealing that Tesla is currently training its Optimus systems for basic tasks, including picking up objects, opening doors, and throwing balls. Kovac previously held the role of director of Autopilot software engineering before ascending to lead the Optimus division as vice president in 2022. In a show of appreciation, Musk acknowledged Kovac's significant contributions to Tesla's growth. A request for comment from Tesla went unanswered.