Deepak Ahuja, Tesla's longtime CFO who spent 11 years managing the automaker's finances across two separate tenures, has joined Redwood Materials as chief financial officer. The move reunites Ahuja with JB Straubel, Tesla's former CTO and current Redwood CEO, creating a leadership pairing with deep automotive and battery expertise.
The hire addresses instability at Redwood, which recently cut 10 percent of its workforce and lost multiple senior executives amid a strategic restructuring. The battery recycling and energy storage company is pivoting aggressively toward fast-growing energy storage markets, a bet that requires disciplined capital allocation and operational precision. Ahuja's arrival signals Redwood intends to stabilize its leadership and execute this transition with CFO-level rigor.
Ahuja managed Tesla through explosive growth and high-stakes capital raises. He navigated the company's 2010 IPO, multiple funding rounds, and the Model 3 production ramp that transformed Tesla into a profitable automaker. That operational experience with hardware scaling directly applies to Redwood's ambitions to build battery recycling facilities and energy storage systems at scale.
Redwood Materials competes in recycling against Linacore, Li-Cycle, and others, while energy storage puts it head-to-head with Tesla's Megapack, Eos Energy, and Form Energy. The energy storage market is accelerating as utilities and grid operators deploy batteries to smooth renewable power. Redwood needs reliable cash flow and disciplined spending to compete.
Straubel and Ahuja's reunion matters. Straubel founded Redwood in 2017 and built credibility in battery supply chain innovation. Ahuja brings the financial acumen to execute at scale. The pairing suggests Redwood is serious about moving beyond pilot programs