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Quiet Acceleration
Photo credit: Tesla
Photo credit: Tesla
Four years into his tenure as Tesla’s CFO, Zachary Kirkhorn (MBA 2013) continues to draw notice for his quiet, effective ability to implement CEO Elon Musk’s vision to scale Tesla into the world’s largest carmaker. As reported in the Wall Street Journal, the company aims to sell 20 million electric vehicles a year by 2030—about a quarter of all new auto sales worldwide. (Last year, the company delivered 1.3 million EVs.)
The company’s valuation, now at more than $500 billion, has increased tenfold since Kirkhorn was named CFO. Under his leadership, Tesla introduced manufacturing efficiencies that helped deliver 15 consecutive profitable quarters and generated $22 billion in available capital. Last year, the company’s operating margin was 16.8 percent, substantially higher than its US rivals.
“Predictability is everything with a CFO,” former Tesla member Steve Westly told the Wall Street Journal. “What you can’t do is surprise people, and he has not surprised people.” Kirkhorn has done much more than that, many agree. Former company executives note that he also carries out many of the day-to-day duties characteristic of a COO, and others say his name has been floated as a possible successor to Musk. No comment on that from Kirkhorn, not surprisingly.
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