New York, Feb 11, 2026, 07:29 EST — Premarket
- Tesla shares slipped roughly 0.2% in premarket trading, giving back a portion of Tuesday’s 1.9% gain.
- Tencent Cloud says Tesla vehicles in China will soon get WeChat-linked in-car features through a software update.
- Tesla has handed global sales duties to its Europe chief, Joe Ward, just as labor disputes intensify at the company’s Berlin-area factory.
Tesla stock slipped 0.2% to $424.44 ahead of Wednesday’s open, giving back a bit after finishing Tuesday’s session up 1.9% at $425.21. 1
Stocks started the day lower as investors eyed a packed calendar, with Tesla in focus after a flurry of headlines on China operations, staffing shifts, and labor talks. U.S. futures edged up in premarket moves, traders holding tight for major U.S. economic releases. 2
Joe Ward, who’s been running Tesla’s business in Europe, is stepping up to oversee global sales, Bloomberg News reported. This comes right after Raj Jegannathan, who led sales for North America, exited the company, Reuters noted. Ward started out at Tesla back in 2010 as a logistics intern, later moving up to EMEA vice president in 2022, according to his LinkedIn. 3
Tencent Cloud has teamed up with Tesla in China to roll out WeChat-connected in-car features, bringing drivers tools like location sharing and destination-based “smart services” suggestions. According to Tencent Cloud, the new functions are coming through an over-the-air update for Model 3 and Model Y vehicles already on Chinese roads, and they’ll ship standard with future cars. 4
Tesla has filed a criminal complaint against a member of Germany’s IG Metall union, accusing the individual of secretly recording a closed session of the works council at its Berlin-area plant, a staff memo reviewed by Reuters shows. Plant manager Andre Thierig called the act a “criminal offence.” IG Metall fired back, labeling Tesla’s claim a “calculated lie” just weeks before works council elections slated for March. 5
Sales leadership turnover and ongoing tensions in Berlin hit the stock at a tricky juncture. With Tesla’s core vehicle segment squeezed by intensifying rivals, investors are zeroed in on whether its autonomy and software bets are actually moving the needle.
Traders have been watching the Musk ecosystem closely. Reuters reported that two of xAI’s co-founders have stepped down, not long after SpaceX announced plans to acquire the AI company—a move expected to combine the firms into a $1.25 trillion entity eyeing a public listing this year. 6
But those headlines also flag the risks. More turnover in the executive ranks threatens to shake faith in execution. And in Germany, a more combative labor dispute could put factory operations back in the spotlight—right when investors are looking for answers on demand.
Macro watchers: The Labor Department drops its January jobs data Wednesday at 8:30 a.m. ET. Then, on Friday, Feb. 13, the January CPI lands, same time. 7
