Omead Afshar, Tesla’s head of manufacturing and operations, has been fired from the company by CEO Elon Musk after declining car sales.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk reportedly fired his longtime aide Omead Afshar after sales in the electric vehicle maker’s key markets slumped this year.

Omead Afshar, a powerful executive at Tesla Inc. and one of Elon Musk’s closest confidants, has left the company, according to people familiar with the matter, the latest high-level departure during a volatile period for the electric vehicle maker.