June 6 (Reuters) - The head of Tesla’s (TSLA.O) Optimus program, Milan Kovac, is leaving the company, casting uncertainty over chief executive Elon Musk’s humanoid robot project, Bloomberg News reported on Friday, citing a person familiar with the matter.
Kovac, vice president and head of engineering for Optimus, told colleagues on Friday that he was departing, effective immediately. Ashok Elluswamy, who leads Tesla’s autopilot teams, will take on Kovac’s role, the report said.
Tesla, Kovac and Elluswamy did not immediately respond to Reuters requests for comment.
Musk has earlier said he expected Tesla to make thousands of Optimus robots this year.
He said in April that China’s export restrictions on rare-earth magnets had affected production of the humanoid robots.
Tesla has shifted focus to launching the robots and its robotaxi service, with much of the company’s valuation hanging on that bet.
“The only things that matter in the long term are autonomy and Optimus,” Musk told CNBC in an interview in May.

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Milan Kovac, head of Tesla's Optimus humanoid robot program, is leaving the company, raising concerns about the project's future. Kovac's departure is effective immediately, with Ashok Elluswamy taking over his role. CEO Elon Musk has emphasized the importance of the Optimus project and robotaxi service for Tesla's long-term valuation, despite challenges such as China's export restrictions on rare-earth magnets affecting production.

- Milan Kovac, head of Tesla's Optimus program, has left the company, creating uncertainty for the humanoid robot project.  
- Ashok Elluswamy will replace Kovac, while Musk has previously indicated plans to produce thousands of Optimus robots this year, despite challenges from China's export restrictions on rare-earth magnets.  
- Tesla's future valuation is heavily reliant on the success of the Optimus robots and its robotaxi service, as emphasized by Musk's focus on autonomy and Optimus.

Reuters

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Tesla's Optimus humanoid robot program head exiting firm, Bloomberg News reports