Tesla has lost a key executive to Waymo just days before the electric vehicle maker is set to unveil its much-anticipated robotaxi.
Daniel Ho, who previously served as Tesla’s head of vehicle programs and new product integration, announced his new role as programs director at Waymo last week.
Ho, who reported directly to Tesla CEO Elon Musk, played a significant role in overseeing the development and ramp-up of the Model Y and Cybertruck.
He was instrumental in launching new factories in Berlin and Texas and increasing production from 500,000 to 1.85 million vehicles per year while laying the groundwork for Tesla’s robotaxi initiative, according to his LinkedIn profile.
At Waymo, Ho joins as the autonomous vehicle company integrates the Hyundai Ioniq 5 into its robotaxi fleet and prepares to scale its purpose-built Zeekr robotaxis.
Notably, Daniel Zhang, another top vehicle program manager at Tesla who worked under Ho, also recently departed the company, according to a LinkedIn post.
