Siry Resigns

[graham]

Horseless Age: Switching Off

I have resigned my position with Tesla Motors due to some disagreements in strategy. I believe that in such a situation it’s best for a senior executive to part ways with the company so as to not get in the way.

I’ve stayed until now to help manage the transition, including recruiting a very strong successor to lead Sales, Marketing & Service going forward. I am sure he will do a great job.

 

[vfx]

I am cautiously optimistic.

 

[thejump]

It's all falling apart like a flimsy house of cards.

 

[graham]

I am cautiously optimistic.

I worry a bit. Darryl has been a very enthusiastic supporter of Tesla's products. I worry what "disagreements in strategy" could be so great that he resigns. If this just means "I got in a fight with Elon, but it is pretty much business as usual" I won't worry too much. However if it is something like: "We have decided to sell ourselves to Chrysler" it may be more worrisome.

It was picked up by AutoBlog:

BREAKING: Tesla Motors SVP Darryl Siry switches off! - Autoblog

 

[doug]

Yeah, I'm a little concerned too... For better or worse, Siry had become the public face of Tesla other than Elon. Despite his overly dramatic exit from this forum, I appreciated that he was a car guy, had some internet savvy, and was relatively accessible.

 

[doug]

Looks like his replacement is based in the UK at the London office. I didn't even know they had a London office.

Tesla Motors - our company

Michael van der Sande
Senior Vice President of Global Sales, Marketing, and Service

Michael van der Sande oversees sales, marketing and service. He spent 12 years at Harley-Davidson, most recently as vice president and managing director for operations in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, where he oversaw more than 370 dealerships in nearly three dozen countries. He served in several other executive positions for the iconic American motorcycle company, including director of strategic planning at corporate headquarters in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Prior to Harley, van der Sande held various marketing and dealer development roles at Nissan Europe and Rolls-Royce and Bentley Motor Cars.

Van der Sande is a Dutch native who speaks four languages fluently and has lived in seven countries. Van der Sande, whose grandparents drove in the famed Monte Carlo Rally in the French Riviera, holds a racing license and has been fascinated by classic and sports cars since childhood. He lives in the United Kingdom and works in Tesla’s London office and the company’s Silicon Valley headquarters.

 

[Cobos]

Yeah, I'm a little concerned too... For better or worse, Siry had become the public face of Tesla other than Elon. Despite his overly dramatic exit from this forum, I appreciated that he was a car guy, had some internet savvy, and was relatively accessible.

For a VP of sales, services AND marketing he was pretty darn accessible. There were issues he could've handled better but he was a good face for Tesla. A lot better than Elon is, and I just hope this new guy can fill his shoes...... I'm finding this pretty ominous...

Cobos

 

[doug]

BREAKING: Tesla SVP Darryl Siry resigns! - AutoblogGreen

I worry a bit. Darryl has been a very enthusiastic supporter of Tesla's products. I worry what "disagreements in strategy" could be so great that he resigns.

Autoblog seems to suggest that the disagreements could stem from the changes announced mid October. If true, I think that's fairly understandable. I wouldn't suspect anything more drastic.

At any rate, it looks like they've hired an experienced replacement:

Tesla Motors Names New Senior Vice President of Global Sales, Marketing and Service - MarketWatch

Tesla CEO and Product Architect Elon Musk praised Siry's contribution to Tesla and emphasized that Siry had played an important role in establishing Tesla's brand identity in the past two years. For the next phase of Tesla's growth, the company needs van der Sande's industry expertise and detailed understanding of regional market nuances, Musk emphasized. Van der Sande joins the executive staff as Tesla prepares to open new showrooms and service centers throughout the United States and Europe.

The person taking over local PR and internet communications appears to be former AP correspondent Rachel Konrad seen here and making blog comments here.

 

[DDB]

Although this would never happen...smartest move by Tesla IMO is to rehire Martin. They couldn't put him as THE PR guy, but certainly they could let him rotate tires or do some mundane task...

-Dave

 

[vfx]

Although this would never happen...smartest move by Tesla IMO is to rehire Martin. They couldn't put him as THE PR guy, but certainly they could let him rotate tires or do some mundane task...

-Dave

I suggest an custom title like Tesla's EVangilist or The Oracle.

He goes out as the face of our electric future. He can do TV -news, daytime talk, cable, Print -press, books and web. He is an engaging affable face that would be the go-to guy for the entire world of electric transportation. Tesla should pay him for this but a consortium of EV makers could also combine monies to get him the big $$.

 

[graham]

Although this would never happen...smartest move by Tesla IMO is to rehire Martin. They couldn't put him as THE PR guy, but certainly they could let him rotate tires or do some mundane task...

Martin was/is great for that - and would be quite the public relations coup... but only if he and Elon can mend fences and be on the same page about the company. It would be a horrible disaster otherwise.

 

[stopcrazypp]

Martin was/is great for that - and would be quite the public relations coup... but only if he and Elon can mend fences and be on the same page about the company. It would be a horrible disaster otherwise.

Doesn't look very possible right now given how nasty their exchanges were, but it could give the company some much needed morale boost.

 

[dpeilow]

Tesla exec quits as rival clocks up major deals | Register Hardware

Tesla Motors hires Harley executive - San Francisco Business Times:

Enthusiast --- www.hardocp.com

 

[DDB]

Doesn't look very possible right now given how nasty their exchanges were, but it could give the company some much needed morale boost.

Or when they offer the IPO.

 

[malcolm]

Martin and Elon will never work together again. Period.

I'm worried about this "strategy" issue.

Will Tesla just become an EV drivetrain supplier?

 

[dpeilow]

Interesting that these guys think the new appointment is more Europe-focussed.

Tesla appoints Harley-Davidson exec to rev up Euro expansion - 03 Dec 2008 - BusinessGreen

 

[graham]

Tesla CEO Elon Musk is betting that Van der Sande can build similar brand loyalty among Tesla owners that is apparent among Harley riders. "A Harley owner wouldn’t be caught dead on any other brand of motorcycle," Musk said.

I was aware of the brand loyalty of Harley-Davidson owners, but I guess I always assumed it was an American thing. Are Harleys as popular in Europe? Was this new hire successful when he was at Harley-Davidson?

 

[dpeilow]

Those who are into them are very loyal, but the vast majority of bikers ride Japanese sports machines.

 

[graham]

Email was sent to owners this afternoon introducing Michael van der Sande:

One of Michael’s brightest achievements was building Harley’s European brand from scratch. As director of strategic planning at Harley headquarters in Wisconsin and then head of Harley’s Europe, Middle East and Africa operation, he forged an incredibly strong sense of community and identity among customers across dozens of languages, nationalities and professions.

It also includes a sentence about Darryl:

Darryl Siry, who resigned after two years at Tesla, plans to start his own media/technology business. Many of you know Darryl both as a Tesla spokesperson and on a personal level. His contributions to Tesla are appreciated and we wish him well in his new venture.

 

[vfx]

Darryl Siry, who resigned after two years at Tesla, plans to start his own media/technology business. Many of you know Darryl both as a Tesla spokesperson and on a personal level. His contributions to Tesla are appreciated and we wish him well in his new venture.

This is chilly in it's lack of adjectives.