Tesla Brain Drain Accelerates as Robotics Startup Poaches Key AI Talent
Tesla's talent exodus reaches critical mass as Sunday Robotics lures away at least ten engineers from its Autopilot and Optimus divisions. The startup's November unveiling showcased former Tesla personnel now driving its Memo robotics platform—a direct challenge to Elon Musk's automation ambitions.
The defections strike at Tesla's Core technical leadership. Perry Jia's six-year tenure on Autopilot and Optimus ended when he joined Sunday this summer. Nadeesha Amarasinghe followed after seven years building Tesla's AI infrastructure. These departures mirror earlier losses of machine learning specialist Nishant Desai and Optimus recruiter Jason Peterson.
Sunday's 50-strong team now includes multiple Tesla veterans who helped develop the neural networks powering both vehicle autonomy and humanoid robotics. The talent raid underscores growing competition for AI specialists as robotics startups challenge established players.
