Rivian, an electric vehicle startup, has recently parted ways with several top executives, including a Vice President and the head of supply chain, according to confirmation from a company spokeswoman to the Wall Street Journal.
These departures come as the company attempts to increase production and build a second factory in Georgia. Although they have increased output by 36% in the quarter, they failed to meet the target of 25,000 units by 700 units. Rivian cited supply chain issues, which are also impacting other automobile manufacturers.
Randy Frank, Vice President of Body and Interior Engineering and Steve Gawronski, the Vice President of Parts Purchasing, are among the executives who have recently left Rivian. Frank had been with the company since 2019, after joining from Ford.
Gawronski, who came from Zoox, joined a year earlier. In addition, other executives who have departed include Patrick Hunt, Head of Strategy who was with the company since 2015, and General Counsel Neil Sitron who had been with the company for four and a half years. All these departures took effect at the beginning of 2023.
According to a company spokesperson, the departures of certain employees were deemed necessary for Rivian to increase production. No further explanation was given as to why their exits were deemed necessary for expansion, and the spokesperson declined to comment on the specific circumstances surrounding the former employees.
Rivian Misses Production Goal in 2022 with 24,337 Units Produced and 20,332 Delivered. Rivian announced that it produced 10,020 vehicles in the fourth quarter of 2022 and delivered 8,054 during the same period, just missing its goal of producing 25,000 units for the year.
Rivian produced 24,337 vehicles and delivered 20,332 in 2022, falling short by 663 units. In the third quarter, Rivian had produced a total of 14,317 vehicles, meaning it had to significantly increase production in the final three months of the year.