The turmoil for Tesla’s executive team isn’t over yet following the loss of its Autopilot chief and its engineering lead’s departure Tesla has lost yet another key figure. Tesla’s “primary technical contact” with American safety regulators, Matthew Schwall, has left the company to join Waymo. According to Wall Street Journal, he would tackle a “variety” of self-driving safety issues but Goole owned Waymo didn’t specify anything.
Schwall’s exit isn’t believed to be tied to Autopilot issues, the timing is just coincidental but it is less than ideal. Tesla is already under multiple crash investigations. On the investigations is headed by NTSB for the Model X crash and it also includes issues with disclosure. This departure of the key person might complicate the matter even further and the electronic car maker may now have to reestablish some of its links with safety officials. It’s also a symbolic blow for a company that prides itself on being a self-driving pioneer, as it doesn’t want to lose influential executives to a rival in the field.
