Tesla's new President takes control of automotive operations

Jerome Guillen will report directly to CEO Elon Musk.

Tesla wrapped up an interesting week -- CEO Elon Musk took a puff or two from a joint live on Joe Rogan's podcast, its recently-hired chief accounting officer quit after less than a month on the job and its HR chief announced she would not return from a leave of absence -- by announcing a round of executive promotions. In a letter to staff that's also posted on the company's website, Musk said: " For a while, there will be a lot of fuss and noise in the media. Just ignore them. Results are what matter and we are creating the most mind-blowing growth in the history of the automotive industry."

Most notable, Tesla now has a new President, Automotive. In a move that may take some direct responsibilities and pressure off of Musk, Jerome Guillen "will oversee all automotive operations and program management, as well as coordinate our extensive automotive supply chain." Guillen will still report directly to Elon Musk, and in the letter he's credited for leading the creation of a new Model 3 production line.

Recent turmoil including Musk's behavior and employee turnover combined with failures to meet deadlines and production goals have intensified criticism on the company and its founder. After the two departures were announced this morning and news of Musk's podcast appearance spread, the company's stock price dropped six percent to $263, off more than $100 from the $370 high reached a month ago when Musk tweeted he had "funding secured" for the company to go private. Adding new execs for Gigafactory Operations, Director of HR, VP of Environmental, Health and Safety, VP of Global Recruiting and promoting a senior director of Global Communications could help calm some nerves.