After thirteen years by his side, Zach Kirkhorn is set to leave Tesla and Elon Musk; who is Zachary Kirkhorn?

Making the announcement on his LinkedIn profile, Kirkhorn wrote; “as I shift my responsibilities to support this transition, I want to thank the talented, passionate, and hard-working employees at Tesla, who have accomplished things many thought not possible,” 

Kirkhorn’s departure marks the second CFO replacement at Tesla in just over four years. When prior finance chief Deepak Ahuja left Tesla in 2019, the company’s shares dipped as much as 4.5%. His successor will be chief accounting officer Vaibhav Taneja, who moves into the role while retaining the accounting officer role as Kirkhorn is set to stay at Tesla to help with the transition until the end of 2023. 

A prominent financial executive known for his contributions to the automotive manufacturing industry, Kirkhorn garnered recognition for his pivotal role as the chief financial officer of Tesla, Inc., a position he held since 2019. 

Kirkhorn's journey began when he pursued higher education with enthusiasm, undertaking studies in Economics at The Wharton School and Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics at the University of Pennsylvania through the Jerome Fisher Program in Management and Technology from 2002 to 2006. His commitment to learning led him to achieve an MBA from Harvard Business School in 2013.

Kirkhorn's professional journey commenced during his academic years when, in 2005, he embarked on an internship as a financial analyst at Microsoft. He embarked on another internship with the company in 2006, this time as a program manager intern. After completing his academic journey in 2006, he ventured into the realm of business analysis at the esteemed consulting firm McKinsey, assuming the role of a senior business analyst.

In 2010, Kirkhorn made a pivotal move by joining Tesla as a senior analyst in finance. His remarkable capabilities and contributions did not go unnoticed, as he steadily ascended the ranks within the company. 

He became director of finance in December 2014, followed by his appointment as vice president of finance in December 2018. The pinnacle of his career at Tesla arrived on January 30, 2019, when he was unveiled as the successor to Deepak Ahuja, becoming the company's new CFO. 

Notably, in March 2021, he was bestowed with the title 'Master of Coin' within Tesla, a playful nod to “Game of Thrones” for the chief financial officer.