--- title: "A Tesla Executive Under Investigation Is Now Working at SpaceX for Some Reason" description: "A ranking Tesla employee is taking a role as vice president of SpaceX's Starship production — even though he's under internal investigation." date: "2022-11-11" modified: "2022-11-11" authors: - name: "Noor Al-Sibai" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/nooralsibai" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/tesla-executive-spacex-vp" categories: - "Advanced Transport" - "Future Society" - "Space" - "SpaceX" - "Tesla" tags: - "elon musk" - "SpaceX" - "tesla" - "the digest" --- # A Tesla Executive Under Investigation Is Now Working at SpaceX for Some Reason ![A ranking Tesla employee is taking a role as vice president of SpaceX's Starship production — even though he's under internal investigation.]() *\Image: Getty Images/Futurism\* ## Making Moves It seems ill-advised to hire an employee who's under investigation at one of your other companies in a ranking position, but then again, Elon Musk is [far from an ordinary CEO](). That's on full display as SpaceX hires Tesla's Texas plant lieutenant Omead Afshar, who according to sources close to the matter that [spoke to *Bloomberg*]() has been brought on as vice president of Starship production. Over the summer, Afshar — reportedly a close confidante of Musk's — was, as the [news site reported at the time](), under internal investigation for a sketchy plan he allegedly had to buy difficult-to-source construction materials for Tesla. During the investigation, some of the executive's subordinates were fired. But Afshar himself seems to have had a golden, well, Starship. https://twitter.com/omead/status/1589116088058777600 ## Shuffleboard It remains unclear whether Afshar is still working at Tesla as well, or if he was shuffled over to SpaceX as a result of his investigation. Sources did, however, tell *Bloomberg* that he hasn't been seen at Tesla's Austin plant in weeks. Whether he was moved from Tesla to SpaceX or is working both companies, it wouldn't be the first time for either. Musk sent [has shuffled Tesla employees to SpaceX]() previously and [even sent them to Twitter]() in recent weeks. And as *Bloomberg* notes, another of his close consiglier**e**s, Charles Keuhmann, is an executive at both companies. To make this kind of hiring move would be weird enough in a regular context, but the fact that Musk is doing so while [wreaking havoc over at his *other* new company]() makes it seem all the stranger. **More on Musk:** [*MSN Ran a Story About Grimes and Elon Musk That's Completely Fake*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've often been drawn to unpacking the narratives that underlie technological, scientific and medical progress, with a special interest in areas of conflict and ambiguity that end up setting agendas and steering the fates of both elites and the hoi polloi. I'm a committed generalist, but I often find myself returning to work involving NASA and the private space sector, the effects of AI on media and society, and the mechanics of the pharmaceutical industry, with a specific focus on the spread of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. Prior to Futurism, I worked for publications ranging from Media Matters and Truthdig to Raw Story and Bustle. I'm also the author of "Myspace Scene Queens," a 2024 title in Instar Books' acclaimed "Remember the Internet" series. My work at Futurism has been cited by outlets including the New Yorker, Slate, Nieman Lab, the Verge, the MIT Technology Review, the Sunday Times, and the Daily Beast. I grew up in North Carolina, attended the University of North Carolina at Asheville, and now live in Brooklyn, New York. In my free time, I'm an avid reader and music fan; you can probably find me at a local poetry reading, concert, underground rave, or DJ set. I'm the proud parent of an ineffable orange cat named Mee-Mow. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()