A long-serving senior executive at Tesla has announced his departure after nearly 17 years with the electric vehicle company. Sendil Palani, Vice President of Finance at Tesla, confirmed he is stepping down and reflected on his journey with the company in a post on X.
Palani described his time at Tesla as one of the most meaningful phases of his career and shared memories from the company’s early days when it was facing serious financial challenges.
“After seventeen incredible years, my latest chapter at Tesla has come to a close,” Palani wrote. He recalled joining the company in late 2008 when Tesla was under intense financial pressure. “Tesla barely survived Christmas 2008. I started a few days later in our Finance team, under an ongoing ‘Tesla Deathwatch’,” he said.
He also spoke about the demanding work culture during Tesla’s early years, highlighting the dedication of employees working to build the company. “I slept under my desk in San Carlos, CA at least once, and I wasn’t the only one,” he wrote.
Palani thanked colleagues across the organisation and praised the teamwork that helped Tesla grow. He noted that working closely with engineers and other departments gave him insights that went beyond traditional finance training.
“To my former Finance team: You are heroes within a company full of heroics, given the full-body workout that is your daily job,” he said. “To my colleagues across the rest of the company – I am grateful for the time that you have spent to educate me, including during my stints outside of the Finance team.”
Reflecting on his learning experience at Tesla, Palani wrote that discussions with teams on technical topics shaped his perspective. “Late-night sessions on topics ranging from the physics of a brake rotor to the training of a neural network proved more valuable than any classroom experience that came before.”
He added that his time at the company was deeply enjoyable, writing, “Going to work is not supposed to be this much fun.”
Palani also thanked Tesla CEO Elon Musk for his leadership and approach to solving problems. “A heartfelt thanks for your endless love of humanity, and for demonstrating the power of thinking from first principles at all times, about all things. When Abundance is achieved and money ceases to have meaning, these lessons will be the most valuable commodity in our economy.”
Responding to the message, Musk wrote: “Thanks for an epic contribution over many years!”
Who is Sendil Palani?
According to his LinkedIn profile, Palani studied engineering and finance at leading US universities. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Pennsylvania and a bachelor’s degree in Finance from The Wharton School. He later earned an MBA from Stanford Graduate School of Business and a master’s degree in Environment and Resources from Stanford University.
Palani began his career as a business analyst at McKinsey & Company in New York. He joined Tesla in 2009 as a Senior Financial Analyst and later held roles including Finance Manager and Manager of Powertrain Business Development.
After brief stints at Google and venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, he returned to Tesla in 2014. Over the following years, he moved through several leadership roles before becoming Vice President of Finance in 2021.
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