Tesla's safety rep. leaves for rival

Tesla’s primary technical contact with US safety regulators, Matthew Schwall, has left the electric carmaker for Alphabet Inc’s self-driving unit Waymo, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported on Saturday, citing people familiar the decision.

Waymo didn't indicate what his new role is, but a Wall Street Journal source said he would tackle a "variety" of self-driving safety issues.

Schwall, the director of field performance engineering at Tesla, exited the company as the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has been investigating multiple crashes involving the electric vehicles. 

The former Tesla executive began at Waymo last Monday, where he joined the company’s safety team led by former National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Deputy Administrator Ron Medford, WSJ said. Schwall will work on a variety of self-driving car safety issues in his new role.

Tesla is currently addressing multiple crash investigations, including a Model X crash that put it at odds with the NTSB over its disclosures.