Tesla vehicle sales have been under pressure in the U.S., China and Europe in Q2. Forbes reported Thursday that Musk fired Omead Afshar, Tesla's head of operations in North America and Europe. Afshar began at Tesla in 2011 and, during his tenure, reportedly became one of Musk's top lieutenants and most trusted allies.

Tesla shares rose 3% shortly after markets opened Wednesday even though the electric vehicle maker reported worse-than-expected second-quarter deliveries and production figures.

Wednesday, after the electric-vehicle giant allayed investor fears by reporting second-quarter deliveries that were pretty close to expectations. Tomi Kilgore is MarketWatch's deputy investing and corporate news editor and is based in New York.

There is considerable pressure on Tesla to deliver on the hype surrounding its highly anticipated Robotaxi ride-hailing service.

Tesla investors have been eagerly awaiting the robotaxi launch as a possible catalyst for the stock amid ailing sales and other concerns in 2025.

Elon Musk's Tesla enters the self-driving taxi game, an industry with big names like Waymo and Zoox in the U.S.