Left Tesla after a seven-year stint due to my inability to back Elon Musk's leadership any longer.
Trae Cervantes, who spent over seven years working at Tesla's Gigafactory in Nevada, has announced his departure from the electric vehicle giant. Cervantes, who started as a production associate in 2018, advanced to an engineering technician role and held at least four different positions during his tenure.
Prior to joining Tesla, Cervantes faced personal hardships, including a divorce, a DUI arrest, and working two jobs to make ends meet. However, Tesla offered him a significantly better-paying job with more free time, professional development programs, and opportunities for career growth despite his lack of formal education or advanced skills at the time.
Cervantes' decision to leave Tesla was not due to workplace conditions or job dissatisfaction but stemmed from discomfort with CEO Elon Musk's public conduct and political involvement. Cervantes felt that Musk's controversial behavior overshadowed Tesla's founding mission and made him ashamed to work at the company. He expressed that continuing to work at Tesla felt like compromising his personal values and that he could no longer reconcile his values with the image Musk projected, which caused him emotional distress.
Cervantes did not have a job lined up when he left Tesla, choosing to resign rather than wait for a layoff or be fired. In the days leading up to his resignation, he changed his profile picture on Teams to a Musk meme, signalling his discontent. His friends were supportive of his decision, sharing a common anger towards Musk.
During his time at Tesla, Cervantes earned a certificate in advanced manufacturing through a program provided by the company and also earned a green belt for Lean Six Sigma. He started on the Model 3 production line and worked his way up through various roles.
There was a cult of personality around Musk at Tesla, with some employees joking about his controversial behavior. However, the controversial events at Tesla and the day Trump bought a Tesla on the White House lawn further solidified Cervantes' decision to leave the company.
Cervantes' departure from Tesla marks a significant shift in his career, and he is now looking for a new opportunity where he can align his values with his work.
What new opportunities will Trae Cervantes pursue now that he's left Tesla, aligning his values with his work? With his background in advanced manufacturing and Lean Six Sigma, he could thrive in a lifestyle centered around technology, education-and-self-development, or entertainment industries. General-news outlets might follow his career path closely, given his exit from Tesla and the controversy surrounding its CEO, Elon Musk.
