Whether you like it or not, it is hard to dispute that Elon Musk will be a tough act to follow as leader of Tesla, should he stand down as the company's chief executive.
The world's second-richest person has overseen Tesla growth to become the world's most valuable car maker.
But while Mr Musk is arguably most widely known for his role at Tesla, he has in recent months been spending much of his time involved with Twitter, which he acquired in October for $44 billion.
This has led to questions over his focus on Tesla, and whether the company needs someone new at the top of its hierarchy.
Tesla has in recent days made a change very close to the top, with China chief Tom Zhu promoted to take charge of the US assembly plants as well as sales operations in North America and Europe, according to an internal posting of reporting lines reviewed by Reuters.
But who is Mr Zhu, and will the change affect Tesla?
Where does Mr Zhu rank at Tesla?
The posting showed that Mr Zhu's title of vice president for Greater China had not changed and that he also retained his responsibilities as Tesla's most senior executive for sales in the rest of Asia.
This makes him the highest-profile executive at Tesla after Mr Musk, overseeing deliveries in all of its major markets.
In December, Reuters reported that Mr Zhu and a team of people who report to him had been brought in to troubleshoot production issues in the US.
How long has he been at Tesla?
Mr Zhu, an MBA from Duke University in North Carolina, joined Tesla in 2014, having previously overseen projects for Kaibo Engineering in Libya and Sudan.
Mr Zhu, who was born in China but now holds a New Zealand passport, took over as China country manager for Tesla at the end of 2014 and helped the company's revenue triple from 2015 to 2016.
It was widely reported that he slept at the Shanghai factory during Covid-19 lockdowns last year, in a move seen as similar to actions by Mr Musk, who was embroiled in controversy over whether he and Twitter staff were staying at the company headquarters in San Francisco, and effectively using it as a hotel, which was against building permissions.
In November, during court proceedings over Mr Musk's pay package, Tesla board member James Murdoch said that Mr Musk had discussed a search for his successor at Tesla, although no names were mentioned.
Mr Zhu is "clearly taking on a bigger role at Tesla", Wedbush analyst Dan Ives said on Twitter.
He, however, added that Mr Musk "must take a more hands-on approach in 2023 at the company as the Twitter distraction along with this current demand situation is creating a perfect storm for the stock".
How has Tesla been performing?
The company set another record for annual deliveries as it shipped 1.31 million cars in 2022, up more than 40 per cent year on year.
Deliveries for the three-month period ended December 31, 2022 were up by about a third to 405,278, from 308,600 a year earlier, and about 18 per cent higher from 180,570 in the third quarter, Tesla said on Tuesday.
But, Tesla's deliveries missed Wall Street estimates and the company's own growth projection of 50 per cent, despite opening two new factories last year.
The company is scheduled to report its full-year financial results on January 25. It is battling inflation, high interest rates, supply chain issues and other economic headwinds.
The company's shares ended down 69 per cent for all of 2022.
Tesla is readying the launch of the Cybertruck and a revamped version of its Model 3 sedan. It has also said it is developing a cheaper electric vehicle but has not provided details of that plan.
What has Elon Musk said?
He has so far remained silent on Mr Zhu.
But he has already showed his willingness to stand down from one company — Twitter.
Mr Musk, who is now the first person in the world to lose more than $200 billion, posted a poll on Twitter, in which he asked: “Should I step down as head of Twitter? I will abide by the results of this poll.”
Almost 58 per cent, or about 9.86 million from more than 17.5 million users voted yes, after which Mr Musk said: "I will resign as CEO as soon as I find someone foolish enough to take the job! After that, I will just run the software and servers teams."
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20APPLE%20M3%20MACBOOK%20AIR%20(13%22)
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UNSC Elections 2022-23
Seats open:
- Two for Africa Group
- One for Asia-Pacific Group (traditionally Arab state or Tunisia)
- One for Latin America and Caribbean Group
- One for Eastern Europe Group
Countries so far running:
Players Selected for La Liga Trials
U18 Age Group
Name: Ahmed Salam (Malaga)
Position: Right Wing
Nationality: Jordanian
Name: Yahia Iraqi (Malaga)
Position: Left Wing
Nationality: Morocco
Name: Mohammed Bouherrafa (Almeria)
Position: Centre-Midfield
Nationality: French
Name: Mohammed Rajeh (Cadiz)
Position: Striker
Nationality: Jordanian
U16 Age Group
Name: Mehdi Elkhamlichi (Malaga)
Position: Lead Striker
Nationality: Morocco
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Tips to stay safe during hot weather
- Stay hydrated: Drink plenty of fluids, especially water. Avoid alcohol and caffeine, which can increase dehydration.
- Seek cool environments: Use air conditioning, fans, or visit community spaces with climate control.
- Limit outdoor activities: Avoid strenuous activity during peak heat. If outside, seek shade and wear a wide-brimmed hat.
- Dress appropriately: Wear lightweight, loose and light-coloured clothing to facilitate heat loss.
- Check on vulnerable people: Regularly check in on elderly neighbours, young children and those with health conditions.
- Home adaptations: Use blinds or curtains to block sunlight, avoid using ovens or stoves, and ventilate living spaces during cooler hours.
- Recognise heat illness: Learn the signs of heat exhaustion and heat stroke (dizziness, confusion, rapid pulse, nausea), and seek medical attention if symptoms occur.
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Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
Race card
6.30pm: Emirates Holidays Maiden (TB), Dh82,500 (Dirt), 1,900m
7.05pm: Arabian Adventures Maiden (TB), Dh82,500 (D), 1,200m
7.40pm: Emirates Skywards Handicap (TB), Dh82,500 (D), 1,200m
8.15pm: Emirates Airline Conditions (TB), Dh120,000 (D), 1,400m
8.50pm: Emirates Sky Cargo (TB), Dh92,500 (D)1,400m
9.15pm: Emirates.com (TB), Dh95,000 (D), 2,000m
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The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh117,059
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
GOLF’S RAHMBO
- 5 wins in 22 months as pro
- Three wins in past 10 starts
- 45 pro starts worldwide: 5 wins, 17 top 5s
- Ranked 551th in world on debut, now No 4 (was No 2 earlier this year)
- 5th player in last 30 years to win 3 European Tour and 2 PGA Tour titles before age 24 (Woods, Garcia, McIlroy, Spieth)
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
The fake news generation
288,000 – the number of posts reported as hate speech that were deleted by Facebook globally each month in May and June this year
11% – the number of Americans who said they trusted the news they read on Snapchat as of June 2017, according to Statista. Over a quarter stated that they ‘rarely trusted’ the news they read on social media in general
31% - the number of young people in the US aged between 10 and 18 who said they had shared a news story online in the last six months that they later found out was wrong or inaccurate
63% - percentage of Arab nationals who said they get their news from social media every single day.
The Bio
Name: Lynn Davison
Profession: History teacher at Al Yasmina Academy, Abu Dhabi
Children: She has one son, Casey, 28
Hometown: Pontefract, West Yorkshire in the UK
Favourite book: The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
Favourite Author: CJ Sansom
Favourite holiday destination: Bali
Favourite food: A Sunday roast
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
Dust and sand storms compared
Sand storm
- Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
- Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
- Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
- Travel distance: Limited
- Source: Open desert areas with strong winds
Dust storm
- Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
- Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
- Duration: Can linger for days
- Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
- Source: Can be carried from distant regions
Globalization and its Discontents Revisited
Joseph E. Stiglitz
W. W. Norton & Company
Visit Abu Dhabi culinary team's top Emirati restaurants in Abu Dhabi
Yadoo’s House Restaurant & Cafe
For the karak and Yoodo's house platter with includes eggs, balaleet, khamir and chebab bread.
Golden Dallah
For the cappuccino, luqaimat and aseeda.
Al Mrzab Restaurant
For the shrimp murabian and Kuwaiti options including Kuwaiti machboos with kebab and spicy sauce.
Al Derwaza
For the fish hubul, regag bread, biryani and special seafood soup.
