Tesla CIO Tells SEBA Audience What Drove Him to Join Revolutionary Car Company
At SEBA’s Executive Speaker Series event last week, Tesla CIO Jay Vijayan said he feels fortunate to be involved with a cutting-edge, socially responsible company that is transforming the transportation and energy industries so rapidly. He nearly missed his chance.
When Vijayak joined Tesla more than four years ago, it was not anywhere near as popular as it is today. He met Elon Musk as a part of an hour-long interview process in 2010. Musk asked him about his career, skills and expertise. During the last ten minutes, Vijayak had the opportunity to ask Musk about his vision for Tesla, 2, 5, 10 and 20 years down the line. “I asked what the things are he wants to accomplish. He laid out the vision very simply but impressively. It pretty much looked impossible.”
Vijayak didn’t take the job at that time, but he continued to follow the company very closely. A year later, Tesla reached out to him yet again. “This time I said yes.” The Model S didn’t exist yet, but Vijayak was now sold on Musk’s clarity of vision.
“I had to take a pay cut to join Tesla.” said Vijayan. He had a belief that the company would be successful, so he took the risk. Since that time, Musk has executed the vision he outlined years ago.
One of the first questions SEBA Dean Zhan Li asked Vijayan when he began his interview with Vijayan was, “What exactly is the role of CIO in Tesla?” Laughing, Vijayan answered, “In short, I am in charge of all information systems and all business applications for Tesla. This includes everything from building the website, ecommerce systems and the supply chain software running the company.”
When Vijayan started with Tesla, he was tasked with building a home grown ERP system within three months for Tesla’s internal operations, without a team. “I thought, ‘It’s not going to be possible.’”
If Vijayan didn’t develop the system from scratch, the car would not be produced. He constructed a team, selecting highly talented people from all over the country. They got a bare bones system together within the timeline. “That was the moment we said yes—we have done it. If we put everything into something, we can make it happen.”
Jay and his team laid the foundation systems architecture and built all the core corporate applications and systems infrastructure for Tesla, including several best-in-class systems, including Tesla's e-Commerce, ERP, Service and Logistics systems that are simple, agile, flexible and custom fit to Tesla's needs.
While Tesla is about to release the Model 3, a more affordable electric car for the mainstream public, the company also has its sights set on bringing self-driving cars to the market, having already built one.
Vijayan shared his thoughts on self-driving cars, including one Tesla has built, and how it compares to others in the market. “I know Tesla already has the car. I know it’s not easy building a car. I think Tesla will get there faster, but in the meantime, the industry is so large. Anyone can innovate—a lot of transformation can happen.”
One of the most pertinent questions asked by Dean Li was what it is like to work for Tesla, and how students can get jobs with Tesla. “In Tesla, it’s about talent and how much value you can bring to the company. It’s not so much about the degree you have, or which school you are coming from,” said Vijayan.
When asked about his famed leader Elon Musk, Vijayan had many positive things to say.
“I’ve probably met a few visionaries who are strong operational executives, but the combination of skills doesn’t exist in many people. Elon has a strong vision plus the clarity for how he wants to execute. His goals are so big, transformational and world changing. To solve those types of big problems, someone has to think the way he needs to think.”
“He’s a pure technologist, he can understand any technology, he is probably the only guy I know who learned about rocket science from reading books. He’s smart in business operations as well—he understands the markets. For me, it’s been a great learning experience.”