'Thank You, Elon:' Musk's Longtime Aide Reportedly Fired Days After Public Praise
Written by Emily J. Thompson, Senior Investment Analyst
Updated: Jun 26 2025
0mins
Source: Benzinga
Elon Musk's Leadership Changes: Tesla's chief Elon Musk has reportedly fired long-time confidant Omead Afshar, who was vice president of sales and manufacturing in North America and Europe, amid declining vehicle sales and internal scrutiny related to a controversial materials purchase plan.
Sales Decline and Industry Impact: Tesla's new vehicle sales dropped 27.9% year-over-year in Europe, contrasting with the overall growth in the electric vehicle market, while other companies like Rivian are also facing job cuts due to cost pressures.
Analyst Views on RIVN
Wall Street analysts forecast RIVN stock price to rise over the next 12 months. According to Wall Street analysts, the average 1-year price target for RIVN is 17.78 USD with a low forecast of 10.00 USD and a high forecast of 25.00 USD. However, analyst price targets are subjective and often lag stock prices, so investors should focus on the objective reasons behind analyst rating changes, which better reflect the company's fundamentals.
18 Analyst Rating
8 Buy
7 Hold
3 Sell
Moderate Buy
Current: 16.470
Low
10.00
Averages
17.78
High
25.00
Current: 16.470
Low
10.00
Averages
17.78
High
25.00
About RIVN
Rivian Automotive, Inc. is an automotive manufacturer, which is engaged in developing and building category-defining electric vehicles (EVs) and accessories, as well as software and services that address the entire lifecycle of the vehicle. The Company’s R1 platform consists of two vehicles: the R1T, a two-row five-passenger pickup truck, and the R1S, a three-row seven-passenger sport utility vehicle (SUV). In the commercial market, the Company offers a Rivian Commercial Vehicle (RCV) platform. The vehicle on this platform is the Electric Delivery Van (EDV), designed and engineered by Rivian in collaboration with Amazon. The Company also offers FleetOS, its proprietary, end-to-end centralized fleet management subscription platform. It also offers a variety of services, including vehicle repair and maintenance, financing, insurance, software subscriptions and FleetOS solutions. Its value-added services include vehicle electrical architecture and software development services, and more.
About the author

Emily J. Thompson
Emily J. Thompson, a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) with 12 years in investment research, graduated with honors from the Wharton School. Specializing in industrial and technology stocks, she provides in-depth analysis for Intellectia’s earnings and market brief reports.








