Rivian's board adds former Waymo CEO John Krafcik

Rivian Automotive has named former Waymo CEO John Krafcik to its board of directors, citing his more than 35 years in the auto industry as former president of TrueCar and former chief executive of Hyundai Motor America, among other industry roles.

Krafcik, 61, left Waymo in April 2020 after more than five years as CEO but continued as an adviser to the autonomous driving company, an affiliate of Google, until May 2022, according to his LinkedIn profile.

"John has tremendous leadership experience in the automotive industry and an impressive track record of building and leading innovative companies," Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe said in a statement Thursday. "His expertise in manufacturing engineering and automotive technology will be a valuable addition to our team."

EV startup Rivian launched production in late 2021 out of its plant in Normal, Ill., and has been ramping up output of its consumer vehicles, the R1T pickup and R1S crossover, and its EDV electric delivery van for Amazon. It plans to launch several lower-cost vehicles on a new EV platform out of a future plant in Georgia.

"Rivian is at the forefront of the electric vehicle revolution, and I believe that the company will have a major impact on the future of transportation," Krafcik said in the Rivian statement. "I look forward to working with RJ and the rest of the team to help Rivian build the best electric vehicles in the world."

Krafcik was an Automotive News 2020 All Star award winner for his work on autonomous vehicles at Waymo.

"At a time when the widespread arrival of self-driving vehicles remains years away, Krafcik spent 2020 fortifying the company's path toward that future," Automotive News said on bestowing the award.

Krafcik worked for Hyundai Motor America for nearly 10 years, first as vice president of product development and later as CEO, leaving in December 2013, according to his LinkedIn page.