The head of Tesla's Optimus humanoid robot program leaves the company

Milan Kovac, the leader of Tesla's humanoid robotics program, is leaving the company. Kovac joined Tesla as an engineer for the Autopilot team in 2016 and became the leader of the Optimus group in 2022. He is leaving due to personal reasons, wanting to spend more time with his family abroad. Kovac emphasized that his decision has nothing to do with Elon Musk's politics or recent fallout with the president. Tesla first announced its humanoid robot project in 2021 and debuted a prototype in 2022. The robot, called Optimus, is expected to move at 5 mph and 45 pounds, and sell for $20,000 each. Tesla has demonstrated Optimus' abilities, such as handling eggs, folding laundry, and throwing trash, but it does not have a solid release date. The production of Optimus has been affected by China's export restrictions of rare earth magnets. Kovac is leaving the company immediately, and Ashok Elluswamy, the leader of the Autopilot group, will take over his responsibilities.