Cruise, the autonomous vehicle unit of General Motors (GM), has announced the appointment of Marc Whitten as its new CEO. Whitten, a former executive at Amazon and Microsoft, brings extensive experience in scaling products and building ecosystems. His appointment comes at a crucial time for Cruise, which is testing and relaunching its autonomous vehicles on public roadways after a fatal accident involving a pedestrian in San Francisco.
The incident, which occurred on October 2, 2022, resulted in the departure of several key leaders, including Cruise CEO and co-founder Kyle Vogt. A third-party probe ordered by GM and Cruise found that culture issues, ineptitude, and poor leadership contributed to regulatory oversights that led to the accident. However, the investigators did not find evidence to support allegations of a cover-up by Cruise leadership.
As part of its plan to double revenue to $280 billion by the end of the decade, GM has been relying on Cruise to expand its operations and become a revenue-generating business. GM acquired Cruise in 2016 and has since secured investments from Honda Motor, Microsoft, T. Rowe Price, and Walmart.
Currently, Cruise has resumed supervised driving in Phoenix, Houston, and Dallas, as well as ongoing testing in Dubai. However, it has not relaunched in San Francisco as it remains under investigation related to the October accident.
In addition to Whitten’s appointment, GM also announced other executive changes within Cruise. Nick Mulholland, who previously led communications for Rivian, will become Cruise’s chief marketing and communications officer. Craig Glidden, GM’s legal and chief policy officer, will join Cruise as president and chief administrative officer.
These executive changes indicate GM’s commitment to strengthening leadership and addressing the cultural and leadership issues highlighted by the probe. By bringing in experienced executives from diverse backgrounds, such as Whitten, Mulholland, and Glidden, GM aims to accelerate Cruise’s progress in developing innovative technology that provides tangible benefits to society.
The autonomous vehicle industry is highly competitive, with companies like Tesla, Waymo, and Uber also vying for dominance. However, GM’s majority ownership of Cruise and its strategic partnerships with key investors give the company a strong position in the market. With the right leadership and a renewed focus on safety and innovation, Cruise has the potential to play a significant role in GM’s ambitious revenue growth plans.
