Departing Tesla exec says he slept under his desk while the company was under 'deathwatch'

"Tesla barely survived Christmas 2008. I started a few days later in our Finance team, under an ongoing 'Tesla Deathwatch.' I slept under my desk in San Carlos, CA at least once, and I wasn't the only one."

"Tesla eventually secured $40 million in financing in November 2008, but Elon Musk - who took over as Tesla CEO in October 2008 - later said that the company was only three days from bankruptcy when the funding round was completed on Christmas Eve."

"Since then, Tesla has risen to become an EV powerhouse and one of the world's most valuable companies. The company has had several other brushes with bankruptcy, with Musk and other executives resorting to sleeping on the factory floor as Tesla struggled to scale its mass-market Model 3 EV between 2017 and 2019."

Sendil Palani, Tesla's finance VP, announced his departure after more than a decade at the company. He recalled joining Tesla's finance team in late 2008 during the "Tesla Deathwatch," when the company nearly collapsed. Palani described sleeping under his desk in San Carlos, California during this critical period. Tesla secured $40 million in emergency funding in November 2008, with CEO Elon Musk later stating the company was three days from bankruptcy when the funding closed on Christmas Eve. Despite these early struggles, Tesla evolved into a major EV manufacturer and one of the world's most valuable companies. Palani's departure represents another recent executive exit, following other high-profile departures from the organization.

Read at Business Insider