- General
- July 3, 2019
- 5 minutes read
Tech Veteran Mike Bell Has Joined Rivian As CTO
Rivian R1S SUV image: Rivian Fresh off $1.2 billion in funding from investors including Ford and Amazon, Rivian has been on…
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| Rivian R1S SUV
image: Rivian
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Fresh off $1.2 billion in funding from investors including Ford and Amazon, Rivian has been on a hiring spree, poaching talent from top auto companies like Tesla, Ford, McLaren, and struggling EV startup Faraday Future, as spotted by The Verge. One of such hires is Mike Bell, a tech veteran that joined Rivian as its first CTO last month, according to his LinkedIn profile.
Bell is a noteworthy hire given his impressive background in the tech industry. In addition to being a board member at iRobot, Bell previously held executive positions at Apple, Palm, Intel and Silver Spring Networks [where he was CEO]. Bell spent 16 years as a VP at Apple before heading to Palm as an SVP for nearly three years. After Palm, he joined Intel as VP [spending 5 years there] before heading to Silver Spring Networks as CEO.
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| Rivian R1S SUV
image: Rivian
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Bell served as CEO of Silver Spring Networks for more than two years and occupied that position as at the time Itron acquired the company for $830 million. He left shortly after the acquisition. Now at Rivian, Bell will be in good company. The electric car startup has poached executives from McLaren, hired several from Faraday Future, Ford, rival Tesla and even Apple, according to LinkedIn reviews from The Verge.
Rivian hasn’t yet released a car but plans to do so by late 2020. With ambitions to capture market share in the electric car market amid heightened competition, recruiting top and experienced talent is key to Rivian’s survival and the company has done just that. Rivian currently employs more than 750 people.
