Juli Johnston has been appointed a data center energy strategic negotiator at Google.
Johnston most recently worked as part of the charging leadership team at Tesla, which was almost entirely laid off last May. She is the latest in a number of hires from the division to find a job in the data center sector. The hire has not been previously reported.
"I'm thrilled to share that I've joined Google's Global Energy and Infrastructure team, where I'll be driving strategic negotiations for 100 percent carbon-free energy to power our data centers," Johnston said on LinkedIn.
"I've admired Google's leadership in sustainable energy procurement for years, and I'm incredibly excited to be part of such a talented and impactful team."
Johnston spent some seven years at Tesla, most recently as the global energy portfolio and incentives lead, and also spent over a year at SolarCity, an Elon Musk-run business that was acquired by Tesla.
Last year, with Tesla posting declining sales and investors concerned over the scrapping of its affordable car project, CEO Musk directed division heads to make drastic staff cuts.
Charging head Rebecca Tinucci laid off 15-20 percent of the division, but in a presentation a week later to Musk, he called for more layoffs. When she protested that it would undermine operations, he fired her and laid off the entire 500-person team, Reuters reports.
Less than a week later, Tesla began rehiring some of the team, after the layoffs impacted one of the fastest-growing divisions at the company.
Many of those who were not rehired have found jobs in the automotive industry - with Tinucci heading Uber's electrification efforts, for example.
Others have moved into the data center sector, which has increasingly needed to increase its control over its power supply. Among them is Patrick Bean, the former head of global charging and energy policy at Tesla. Last year, he was named the director of energy strategy at hyperscale data center developer Rowan Digital Infrastructure.
Similarly, Vedant Modak went from being an energy analyst at Tesla to analyzing data center energy operations at Amazon.
"There's more than one dream job," Johnston said. "I was fortunate to spend nearly a decade at Tesla, working alongside exceptional people achieving remarkable things. While it was hard to imagine what could top that chapter, I’ve been pleasantly surprised to discover equally exciting opportunities. I’m optimistic that this next act will be just as fulfilling, if not more so, than the last."
