Tesla executive Matt Schwall has left the company and joined rival Alphabet’s self-driving car unit Waymo.
Schwall served as director of field performance engineering at Tesla, a role that involved dealing with federal safety regulators.
The news was first reported by the WSJ on Saturday citing people familiar with the matter. A source said that Schwall’s move from Tesla was not related to issues the company is currently dealing with regarding Autopilot.
The National Transportation Safety Board is currently investigating the fatal crash in California of a Model X SUV in which the car’s Autopilot feature was active.
According to the WSJ, Schwall started his new job at Waymo last Monday. While Waymo hasn’t specified his role in the company, he will reportedly be tackling a “variety” of self-driving safety issues.
His departure from the company comes after it was announced that Tesla’s engineering chief, Doug Field, is taking a leave of absence.
“Doug is just taking some time off to recharge and spend time with his family. He has not left Tesla,” the Tesla spokesman said.
In a tweet Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, described Field as “one of the world’s most talented” engineering executives.
