<p>Zhu Xiaotong, also known as Tom Zhu, smiled in a&nbsp;vest and a black hat with a white "T" for Tesla in a Twitter post celebrating Tesla manufacturing 3,000 Model Ys a week at its Texas factory last month. Zhu, who oversaw the US automaker's operations in Asia-Pacific and managed its Shanghai factory to become the company's most productive in the world, was sent to Austin late last year to assist with running Tesla's newest plant, as reported by the South China Morning Post.&nbsp;</p>

<p>It is claimed that Zhu is now in charge of worldwide automotive production, sales, and service—a degree of authority that is perhaps second only to that of Tesla CEO Elon Musk—despite the fact that Tesla has not yet made any announcements or designated him as an executive officer.</p>

<h2><strong>Early life and education</strong></h2>

<p>Zhu was born in China and is said to also have a New Zealand passport. Prior to that, he contributed to the establishment of an international engineering consultancy that offered support to Chinese contractors wanting to expand overseas. He graduated from Duke University's Fuqua School of Business&nbsp;after obtaining a bachelor of commerce in information technology from New Zealand's AUT, as reported by the&nbsp;South China Morning Post.&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>Also read |</strong>&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/business-economy/elon-musk-breaks-world-record-for-largest-ever-loss-of-personal-fortune-551123">Elon Musk breaks world record for largest-ever loss of personal fortune</a></p>

<h2><strong>Tom Zhu's Tesla run</strong></h2>

<p>Zhu joined Tesla in early 2014 to help expand its Supercharger network. By the end of his first year at Tesla, Zhu had swiftly risen through the ranks and was in charge of the China operations. Under his leadership, Tesla's Shanghai factory—the company's first site outside the US—materialized quickly, transforming from a muddy field to a dazzling assembly line for electric vehicles in less than a year. Zhu was elevated to the positions of president of Greater China and worldwide vice president before mass production even began at the end of 2019.</p>

<p>He was promoted in July of last year when the automaker expanded into Thailand, Hong Kong, and Singapore. He now has overall responsibility for Tesla Asia-Pacific. Musk also commended Zhu's China team for "burning the 3 am oil" when they toiled nonstop to keep the Shanghai factory running throughout the city's Covid lockdowns. The company underwent improvements to increase manufacturing capacity to 1 million electric vehicles annually during what was an incredibly challenging final year.</p>

<p><strong>Also read |</strong>&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/technology/us-feds-probe-tesla-autopilot-crashes-musk-tweet-about-disabling-monitoring-alerts-551176">US Feds probe Tesla Autopilot crashes, Musk tweet about disabling monitoring alerts</a></p>

<h2><strong>What do Tom Zhu's co-workers say about him?</strong></h2>

<p>Zhu is seen as practical and responsive by a number of current and former Tesla China employees, who point out that he frequently responds to emails and texts quickly and at all hours of the day. Zhu referred to himself as "tenacious" in an interview with Duke's Fuqua School.</p>

<p><strong>Also watch |&nbsp;WION Fineprint | Disney asks employees to come back to the office</strong></p>

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<p>In April of that year, Musk stated that development at the Shanghai factory during an earnings call&nbsp;was a “testament to the outstanding execution of our team on the ground there. I get daily emails with a dozen pictures from one day to the next from Tom Zhu, who leads the Gigafactory programme”.</p>

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Zhu Xiaotong, also known as Tom Zhu, smiled in a vest and a black hat with a white "T" for Tesla in a Twitter post celebrating Tesla manufacturing 3,000 Model Ys a week at its Texas factory last month.

Zhu Xiaotong, also known as Tom Zhu, smiled in a vest and a black hat with a white "T" for Tesla in a Twitter post celebrating Tesla manufacturing 3,000 Model Ys a week at its Texas factory last month. Zhu, who oversaw the US automaker's operations in Asia-Pacific and managed its Shanghai factory to become the company's most productive in the world, was sent to Austin late last year to assist with running Tesla's newest plant, as reported by the South China Morning Post. It is claimed that Zhu is now in charge of worldwide automotive production, sales, and service—a degree of authority that is perhaps second only to that of Tesla CEO Elon Musk—despite the fact that Tesla has not yet made any announcements or designated him as an executive officer. Early life and education Zhu was born in China and is said to also have a New Zealand passport. Prior to that, he contributed to the establishment of an international engineering consultancy that offered support to Chinese contractors wanting to expand overseas. He graduated from Duke University's Fuqua School of Business after obtaining a bachelor of commerce in information technology from New Zealand's AUT, as reported by the South China Morning Post. Also read | Elon Musk breaks world record for largest-ever loss of personal fortune Tom Zhu's Tesla run Zhu joined Tesla in early 2014 to help expand its Supercharger network. By the end of his first year at Tesla, Zhu had swiftly risen through the ranks and was in charge of the China operations. Under his leadership, Tesla's Shanghai factory—the company's first site outside the US—materialized quickly, transforming from a muddy field to a dazzling assembly line for electric vehicles in less than a year. Zhu was elevated to the positions of president of Greater China and worldwide vice president before mass production even began at the end of 2019. He was promoted in July of last year when the automaker expanded into Thailand, Hong Kong, and Singapore. He now has overall responsibility for Tesla Asia-Pacific. Musk also commended Zhu's China team for "burning the 3 am oil" when they toiled nonstop to keep the Shanghai factory running throughout the city's Covid lockdowns. The company underwent improvements to increase manufacturing capacity to 1 million electric vehicles annually during what was an incredibly challenging final year. Also read | US Feds probe Tesla Autopilot crashes, Musk tweet about disabling monitoring alerts What do Tom Zhu's co-workers say about him? Zhu is seen as practical and responsive by a number of current and former Tesla China employees, who point out that he frequently responds to emails and texts quickly and at all hours of the day. Zhu referred to himself as "tenacious" in an interview with Duke's Fuqua School. Also watch | WION Fineprint | Disney asks employees to come back to the office In April of that year, Musk stated that development at the Shanghai factory during an earnings call was a “testament to the outstanding execution of our team on the ground there. I get daily emails with a dozen pictures from one day to the next from Tom Zhu, who leads the Gigafactory programme”. WATCH WION LIVE HERE:

Explained: Who is Tom Zhu, Elon Musk's right-hand man at Tesla?

<p>Tesla's founder and CEO, Elon Musk, has appointed Tesla China's head Tom Zhu to take charge of all operations in North America and Europe on Tuesday.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Zhu retains his current responsibilities while he takes charge as Tesla's most senior sales executive in the rest of Asia, Reuters news agency reported. His new duty to monitor deliveries in all markets and manage the production for the electric car manufacturer makes him the highest-profile executive at Tesla after Elon Musk.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Managers in China, Japan, Australia, and New Zealand will continue to report to Zhu. His promotion to a global role comes when Twitter acquisition&nbsp;preoccupy Musk, and Tesla is readying the launch of Cybertruck. Tesla's analysts and investors have encouraged decisions that enhance the senior executive bench and divert Musk's attention towards Tesla.</p>

<p><strong>Also Read|&nbsp;</strong><a href="www.wionews.com/business-economy/tesla-delivers-record-number-of-cars-in-q4-but-falls-short-of-wall-street-expectations-548892">Tesla delivers record number of cars in Q4 but falls short of Wall Street expectations</a></p>

<p>Although born in China, Zhu has a New Zealand passport. He joined Tesla in 2014 after serving as a project manager at a company set by his MBA classmates at Duke University.</p>

<p>Zhu is known for his 'no-fuss' leadership style. He lives in an apartment 10 minutes away from the Shanghai Gigafactory. However, he has not made it clear whether or not he will move for the promotion.&nbsp;</p>

<p>During Shanghai's two-month COVID-19 lockdown, Zhu and his few other colleagues slept in the factory to keep things running, his colleagues said. Tesla's Shanghai plant's revival under him after the lockdown due to COVID-19 has been one of his most remarkable accomplishments.&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>Watch|&nbsp;World Business Watch: India proposes self-regulatory body for online gaming industry</strong></p>

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<p>In December, Tesla celebrated the production landmark for its Model Y at its Austin, Texas, plant. They also tweeted a picture on their Twitter handles showing Zhu smiling alongside his workers on the floor.&nbsp;</p>

<p>In November, James Murdoch, Tesla's board member, mentioned that the company pinpointed a successor for Elon Musk without naming the person.</p>

<p><em>(With inputs from agencies)</em></p>

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Tesla's founder and CEO, Elon Musk, has appointed Tesla China's head Tom Zhu to take charge of all operations in North America and Europe on Tuesday. Zhu retains his current responsibilities while he takes charge as Tesla's most senior sales executive in the rest of Asia, Reuters news agency reported.

Tesla's founder and CEO, Elon Musk, has appointed Tesla China's head Tom Zhu to take charge of all operations in North America and Europe on Tuesday. Zhu retains his current responsibilities while he takes charge as Tesla's most senior sales executive in the rest of Asia, Reuters news agency reported. His new duty to monitor deliveries in all markets and manage the production for the electric car manufacturer makes him the highest-profile executive at Tesla after Elon Musk. Managers in China, Japan, Australia, and New Zealand will continue to report to Zhu. His promotion to a global role comes when Twitter acquisition preoccupy Musk, and Tesla is readying the launch of Cybertruck. Tesla's analysts and investors have encouraged decisions that enhance the senior executive bench and divert Musk's attention towards Tesla. Also Read| Tesla delivers record number of cars in Q4 but falls short of Wall Street expectations Although born in China, Zhu has a New Zealand passport. He joined Tesla in 2014 after serving as a project manager at a company set by his MBA classmates at Duke University. Zhu is known for his 'no-fuss' leadership style. He lives in an apartment 10 minutes away from the Shanghai Gigafactory. However, he has not made it clear whether or not he will move for the promotion. During Shanghai's two-month COVID-19 lockdown, Zhu and his few other colleagues slept in the factory to keep things running, his colleagues said. Tesla's Shanghai plant's revival under him after the lockdown due to COVID-19 has been one of his most remarkable accomplishments. Watch| World Business Watch: India proposes self-regulatory body for online gaming industry In December, Tesla celebrated the production landmark for its Model Y at its Austin, Texas, plant. They also tweeted a picture on their Twitter handles showing Zhu smiling alongside his workers on the floor. In November, James Murdoch, Tesla's board member, mentioned that the company pinpointed a successor for Elon Musk without naming the person. (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE

Tesla's China head elevated to global role, takes charge of sales operations in North America

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Explained: Who is Tom Zhu, Elon Musk's right-hand man at Tesla?

Tesla's China head elevated to global role, takes charge of sales operations in North America