According to a regulatory filing, Zachary Kirkhorn, Tesla’s chief financial officer and self-proclaimed “Master of Coin,” left the company on August 4 after 13 years of service.
Kirkhorn will be succeeded by Tesla’s current chief accounting officer, Vaibhav Taneja. According to Tesla, the former CFO will stay on board until the end of 2023 to help with the transition.
The revelation caused a little decline in Tesla shares, which is still declining as the market is opening.
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Since March 2019, Taneja has served as Tesla’s chief financial officer. Prior to that position, he served as an assistant corporate controller from February 2017 to May 2018 and as a corporate controller from May 2018 to the present. He also held a variety of financial and accounting positions at SolarCity Corporation, which Tesla acquired in 2016.
Tesla shareholders had sued CEO Elon Musk and the company over that transaction, calling it a bailout and alleging the executive had forced Tesla’s board to purchase SolarCity. A Delaware judge decided in Musk’s favor in 2022.
It’s unclear why Kirkhorn left Tesla or what his plans are for the future. In a message on LinkedIn this morning announcing his leaving, the CFO gave no further information. Taneja’s decision to adopt the amusing moniker “Master of Coin” was not mentioned in Tesla’s filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. In time for a remark, Tesla could not be reached.
