Tom Zhu, who was brought to Austin to help run the company’s newest plant, impressed Musk by working around the clock
Tom Zhu, who was brought to Austin to help run the group’s newest plant, impressed CEO by working round the clockWith Elon Musk, centre, tied up at Twitter, Tom Zhu, far left, is now responsible for global automotive production, sales and service. Picture: BLOOMBERG
So, who is Zhu, whose role is all the more important given Musk’s preoccupation with Twitter and shareholder demands for more transparency about who’s next in line after Musk? Zhu rose through Tesla’s ranks quickly, becoming manager of Chinese operations by the end of his first year. Under his purview, Tesla’s Shanghai factory — the company’s first outside the US — materialised at breakneck speed, going from a muddy field to gleaming facility producing electric vehicles in under a year. Before mass production even started at the end of 2019, Zhu had been promoted to global vice-president and president of Greater China.
The more than 710,000 cars Tesla made in China last year was about 52% of the company’s worldwide output. Zhu’s work ethic was on full display during the lockdown — he stayed in the plant when movement restrictions were introduced, sleeping in the factory with a handful of security staff who made sure the facility wasn’t breached.
Once at the factory, Zhu said he spends time walking the production lines of the workshops and talking with engineers to solve technical issues. “In our company, most of the things you do it with your hands on it, get your hands dirty,” he said, explaining why he mostly wears hjackets and a safety helmet. In the nearby office, Zhu shared an open space at standing desks with many others, including production director Song Gang. He was often spotted there well beyond midnight.
“The company’s culture is not to waste resources and time on those fancy and nonsense things,” Zhu said in a recent and rare video interview with PCAuto, a local car-review website. “Focus your main energy and resources into what really matters. We don’t have a huge administrative organisation here to service the management. Book tickets by yourself, grab your food by yourself.
South Africa Latest News, South Africa Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Elon Musk's private jet made 134 flights in 2022 – with the shortest trip lasting just 6 minutes | Business InsiderJack Sweeney, who tracks the billionaire's private jet, has tallied up the number of trips the Tesla and Twitter chief's plane made last year.
Read more »
Musk cuts more jobs at TwitterElon Musk’s Twitter job cuts continue to diminish the company’s trust and safety team for global content moderation.
Read more »