Trae Cervantes has been with Tesla for over seven year and witnessed the transition of the company’s ethos. Cervantes continues to be grateful for the opportunities Elon Musk-led electric company gave him as he rose through the ranks and earned certifications like Advanced Manufacturing and Lean Six Sigma.
Even though he was promoted regularly in the company, Cervantes truly believed in Tesla’s sustainable energy mission. Cervantes spoke to Business Insider saying, the enthusiasm in him gradually faded as he began to feel that Tesla was becoming less about innovation and more about Musk’s political ambitions. The tipping point was Musk’s controversial salute at a rally celebrating US president Donald Trump’s second inauguration.
Leaving Tesla on principle: Former employee
Cervantes joined Tesla’s Nevada Gigafactory in 2018 with no formal technical training. He credits Tesla for providing financial stability, career advancement, and personal growth opportunities. Speaking to Business Insider, he described the workplace culture as one that fostered a “cult of personality” around Musk, where internal criticism or questioning leadership felt risky. Cervantes further explained when he started at Tesla, orientation included jokes about Elon Musk’s controversial tweets.
They mentioned his run-ins with the Securities and Exchange Commission almost casually, as if his behaviour was excusable because of his status, achievements, or net worth. At the time, it didn’t seem like a big deal. But over time, his growing involvement in Twitter, politics, and the upcoming election started to feel like a distraction from the company’s core mission.
In March 2025, Cervantes made the difficult decision to resign without another job lined up. For him, the decision wasn’t financial, it was moral. “I could not compromise my values,” he told Business Insider.
Tesla is facing a wave of high-profile resignations, including top executive Omead Afshar, as sales decline. Former employee Matthew LaBrot, fired after launching an anti-Musk website, joins others voicing concerns about Elon Musk’s leadership. These departures signal a broader unease within Tesla, where the company’s mission is increasingly overshadowed by discomfort with Musk’s actions and a shifting corporate culture that prioritizes loyalty to the CEO over innovation.
