NRI Vaibhav Taneja, Tesla CFO

NRI Vaibhav Taneja, 47, Chief Financial Officer of Tesla, has been officially appointed Treasurer and Custodian of Records for Elon Musk’s newly launched political entity, the America Party, as revealed in recent filings with the U.S. Federal Election Commission

Education

• Bachelor of Commerce from Delhi University (1996–1999)
• Qualified Chartered Accountant via Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (2000)
• Certified Public Accountant (USA, 2006)

Professional Journey

• 1999–2016: Senior Manager in Assurance at PwC in India & USA—advantaged Fortune 500 firms on financial control, compliance, IPO readiness
• 2016–2017: Joined SolarCity as Vice-President/Corporate Controller; transitioned to Tesla following its acquisition in early 2017
• 2017–2018: Assistant Corporate Controller at Tesla
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• 2018–2019: Promoted to Corporate Controller
• 2019–2023: Chief Accounting Officer, overseeing Tesla’s US GAAP reporting, audits, SEC compliance
• Jan 2021–present: Director, Tesla India Motors & Energy Pvt Ltd
• Aug 2023–present: Appointed CFO of Tesla, succeeding Zach Kirkhorn

Compensation

• Awarded approximately $139 million in 2024—primarily stock/equity grants—making it the largest CFO payout on record
• Exceeds earnings of peers like Microsoft’s Satya Nadella ($79 M) and Google’s Sundar Pichai ($10–11 M)

Skills & Influence

• A seasoned expert in financial reporting, internal controls, SEC compliance, and IPO processes
• Trusted advisor to Elon Musk; played a key part in Tesla’s global expansion and India entry strategy
  

Named Treasurer & Custodian of Records for Elon Musk’s newly launched America Party, as per FEC filings—entrusted with regulatory oversight of the political venture’s finances