Tesla has announced that co-founder JB Straubel is returning to the company as a non-executive board member. Straubel was a key figure at Tesla, serving as its Chief Technology Officer for 14 years before departing in 2019 to launch Redwood Materials, which is working on creating a North American battery supply chain.
Straubel played a crucial role in giving Tesla a technological edge when it came to batteries and power electronics, and was widely regarded as the company’s second most important executive after Elon Musk. His departure was seen as a significant loss for Tesla, but now his return as a board member is being viewed as a major coup for the company.
Tesla revealed in an SEC filing that Hiromichi Mizuno, the head of Japan’s Government Pension Investment Fund and a Class I director at Tesla, will not stand for re-election at the company’s upcoming annual meeting. In his place, Tesla’s board has nominated Straubel to take over the role.
The filing stated that Straubel’s “extensive operational experience in senior leadership at the Company, combined with his engineering expertise and passion for cleantech, will make him an important asset in our mission to accelerate the world’s transition to sustainable energy.”
Straubel’s return to Tesla is expected to be warmly received by shareholders, who will vote on his nomination during the annual meeting next month. It is worth noting that Musk has had negative feelings towards all of Tesla’s other official co-founders, with the exception of Straubel.
Overall, Straubel’s return to Tesla as a board member is a positive development for the company, given his expertise and experience in the field of cleantech and sustainable energy. Tesla is a key player in the electric vehicle and renewable energy space, and Straubel’s presence on the board will undoubtedly strengthen the company’s position in this rapidly evolving industry.
