According to foreign media reports, Cruise, the driverless taxi department of General Motors, has hired Marc Whitten, who once worked on Amazon and Microsoft Xbox video game platforms, as its new CEO.
Last October, when there was a crash involving a self-driving taxi in Cruise, Cruise decided to strengthen its leadership team in order to regain public trust and restart the self-driving program.
Marc Whitten.
Photo Source: Cruise,Cruise announced that Marc Whitten, 53, will replace Kyle Vogt, co-founder and former CEO of Cruise, as CEO on July 16.
The company said Whitten has a wealth of experience in technology, which will provide valuable support for Cruise’s self-driving car program.
Whitten has served as a founding engineer for Xbox and Xbox Live and as a vice president for Amazon, responsible for applications and services, including hot products such as Fire TV and Kindle.
In addition, Whitten served as Chief Product Officer for Sonos, which specializes in wireless home audio systems, and Chief Product and Technology Officer for Unity.
In addition, Whitten has also been in charge of industrial intelligence and real-time 3D technology at Create, which provides strong technical support for games and applications.
On the new appointment, Marc Whitten said in a statement on June 25th: “in a few years’ time, transportation will be fundamentally safer and more convenient than it is now, creating more value for individuals and communities around the world.
It is an once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to participate in this transformation.
Cruise’s team has developed world-class technology, and I look forward to working with the company to help achieve this critical task.
” After the departure of Kyle Vogt, Mo Elshenawy was appointed President and Chief Technology Officer, while Craig Glidden was appointed President and Chief Executive Officer, both of whom shared the responsibility of leading Cruise.
According to Cruise’s latest statement, both executives will continue to hold their positions and report directly to the new CEO, Marc Whitten.
GM announced that although the 66-year-old Glidden will continue to serve as GM’s executive vice president and strategic adviser, he will step down as GM’s legal and public policy officer to focus more on the development of Cruise.
Glidden has been GM’s general counsel since 2015, and its expertise and leadership have been widely recognized by the industry.
Grant Dixton, a former chief legal officer of video game maker Activision Activision Blizzard, will succeed Glidden.
Dixton will become GM’s executive vice president and chief legal and public policy officer on July 15.
He will report to GM CEO Mary Barra and manage GM’s worldwide legal, compliance, corporate governance, privacy and public policy affairs.
Previously, he served as general counsel and secretary of Boeing.
Cruise also appointed Nick Mulholland as chief communications and marketing officer.
Prior to that, he worked as a global communications officer at Rivian.
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